The University of Pittsburgh is moving ahead with Pitt Bioforge, a planned $250 million biomanufacturing facility at Hazelwood Green.
The project, funded in part by a $100 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, is a collaboration between the university and a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in cell and gene therapy. The facility will produce cell and gene therapies for diseases that currently do not have any interventions, Pitt officials said, and could revitalize the region’s interest in the life sciences while being an economic driver to the community.
ElevateBio — a company focused on developing transformative cell and gene therapies — has partnered with Pitt under a 30-year agreement and will be an anchor tenant at the facility. Through the partnership, 170 full-time positions will be created, half of which will require trade-school or community college level certifications, according to the university.
Site prep for the facility is expected to begin late fall of this year with construction to begin in 2024, Pitt officials said. The facility will be 185,000 square feet with two pocket parks, bicycle parking, and integrated public art.
“The architecture of the new BioForge facility in the Hazelwood Green development strives to physically manifest the exciting, regionally transformative program it contains — biomanufacturing of cell and gene therapies,” Gina Bleck, Pitt’s vice chancellor for planning, design, and construction, said in a prepared statement.
“The exterior invites visual access to the science, and the entry element acts as a welcoming lantern to guide pedestrians into the building, a new icon for Pitt and the Pittsburgh region,” she continued. “The exterior amenities include ... opportunities for public art which will be collaborative with the Hazelwood neighborhood. While we continue to work on details, we are confident in the building design and think it will be an appealing addition to the Hazelwood neighborhood.”
The building will have LEED Gold certification, the second-highest credential one can obtain by addressing the carbon footprint of a building, the university said.
The University said it expects the facility to foster collaboration and serve as a long-term, place-based partnership with the community.
Ciara McEneany: cmceneany@post-gazette.com
First Published: July 13, 2023, 3:53 p.m.