[font=Verdana]Amgen[/font][font=Verdana] will add up to 550,000 square feet of new office and lab space on its site at Pier 89 in [/font][font=Verdana]Seattle[/font][font=Verdana] that will have the capacity to house up to 750 new employees. [/font]

[font=Verdana]The California-based biotech said it will add six new buildings on its 40-acre site, and construction is expected to begin this fall, according to company spokeswoman Carol Pawlak.[/font]

[font=Verdana]She said 150 new jobs will be created this year. Three new lab buildings, a facilities building, an office building and a new warehouse are being planned, with construction estimated to take four years. About 300,000 square feet of empty warehouse space at the site will be torn down. She added there's no estimate on what the new buildings will cost. [/font]

[font=Verdana]Amgen currently has 750 employees at the site. [/font]

[font=Verdana]"Were excited to be expanding in [/font][font=Verdana]Seattle[/font][font=Verdana]. It helps create a more vibrant biotech hub for the region," Pawlak said. [/font]