2.4.0.82102100 - Disclosure - Backgroundtruefalsefalse1falsefalsefalseD2013Q2YTDhttp://www.sec.gov/CIK0001035443duration2013-01-01T00:00:002013-06-30T00:00:001true1are_BackgroundDisclosureAbstractare_falsenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsexbrli:stringItemTypestringfalse02false2us-gaap_NatureOfOperationsus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseterseLabel1falsefalsefalse00<div style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:10pt;"><div style="line-height:120%;font-size:10pt;"><font style="font-family:inherit;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;">Background</font></div><div style="line-height:120%;font-size:10pt;"><font style="font-family:inherit;font-size:10pt;"><br clear="none"/></font></div><div style="line-height:120%;text-indent:48px;font-size:10pt;"><font style="font-family:inherit;font-size:10pt;">As used in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, references to the “Company,” “Alexandria,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and its subsidiaries.</font></div><div style="line-height:120%;text-indent:48px;font-size:10pt;"><font style="font-family:inherit;font-size:10pt;"><br clear="none"/></font></div><div style="line-height:120%;text-indent:48px;font-size:10pt;"><font style="font-family:inherit;font-size:10pt;">Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), a self-administered and self-managed investment-grade real estate investment trust (“REIT”), is the largest and leading REIT focused principally on owning, operating, developing, redeveloping, and acquiring high-quality, sustainable real estate for the broad and diverse life science industry.  Alexandria’s client tenants span the life science industry, including renowned academic and medical institutions, multinational pharmaceutical companies, public and private biotechnology entities, United States (“U.S.”) government research agencies, medical device companies, industrial biotech companies, venture capital firms, and life science product and service companies.  For additional information on Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., please visit www.are.com.</font></div></div>falsefalsefalsenonnum:textBlockItemTypenaThe entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings).Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 275
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6003-108592
Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher AICPA
-Name Statement of Position (SOP)
-Number 94-6
-Paragraph 10
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.
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