Contributors to BioForge gathered at the construction site for a “topping off” ceremony on Sept. 6, where they signed the final beam. Its addition to the building marks a new stage of construction.

The Pittsburgh Planning Commission officially approved construction plans for Pitt’s BioForge Manufacturing Center on Sept. 29. The BioForge is located on the Hazelwood Green site, which is also the home of Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute at Mill 19 and is the center of Pitt’s proposed “Bio Valley.”

Pitt unveiled the design and architectural plans for BioForge, a new biomanufacturing center in the Hazelwood neighborhood.  The building is set to be 185,000 square feet, with two stories and a penthouse,...