BioTech Place Opens To Fanfare

The initial crown jewel of the 230-acre Piedmont Triad Research Park held a grand opening celebration in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. Originally the manufacturing center of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, who donated building 91 for the rejuvenation of the local economy.

The $100-million project is an elaborate public/private partnership with U.S. Bank and Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C. having made investments for the $34-million in the state mill rehabilitation historic tax credits program. In addition, Winston-Salem / Forsyth County's $6.2-million contribution toward infrastructure upgrades, development by Wexford Science and Technology LLC of Baltimore, and administered by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Center for Design Innovation Groundbreaking

The Center for Design Innovation started construction of an $8-million building that local officials hope will serve as a physical and symbolic anchor for the southern part of downtown Winston-Salem. The 27,000-sqft building also will serve as a test — and an opportunity — for determining how well creative and design fields work as engines for a knowledge-based economy.

The building, projected to open in fall 2013, will sit on a 4-acre site off Rams Drive and will be the first building in the South District of Piedmont Triad Research Park. The Center for Design Innovation is a partnership between Winston-Salem State University, UNC School of the Arts and Forsyth Technical Community College specializing in motion-capture techniques and rapid prototyping.