Building a lab? Seoul, Paris and Rome are cheap, but try Jackson

When selecting a foreign land in which to locate a research lab, pilot plant, or manufacturing facility, it is important to understand that design and construction costs will vary from one location to another. Not only will construction costs generally be different in North America, Europe, and Asia, but local variations within each continent will also be seen. The US, Canada, and a majority of European countries have well-established and predictable construction costs for their various regions because these communities are satisfactorily serviced by many competing suppliers of laboratory and industrial products, and skilled construction labor is readily available. Conversely, the Pacific Rim is both unique and geographically diverse. It varies from more predictable markets such as Japan and South Korea to the challenging and less predictable emerging nations such as China. According to Yu-Heng Shang of the Haines Lundberg Waehler International architectural-engineering-interior design firm, the expected return on investment in China is 4 to 5 years, compared to nearly 20 years in the US.