City approval has been granted to FedEx Corp. to build a new San Francisco distribution center. The 110,000-sf facility will serve 80 routes and house 100 relocated workers in addition to 65 new hires. The center is slated for completion in 2002.
New York-based Deloitte Consulting has acquired 72,618 sf of new space in the Marquis Two in downtown Atlanta, owned by Colonnade Properties LLC. Although Deloitte was seeking a new office environment, the expansion and reconfiguration of their existing 54,000-sf space was achieved by putting support workstations along the windows and offices in the building's center. Extensive use of interior glass facilitates the use of natural light.
Bechtel Power has occupied a fifth structure at the Westview Corporate Campus in Frederick, Md. Now totalling 450,000 sf, Bechtel Power's international headquarters has grown with the addition of the new 123,000-sf building housing training, demo and research labs and offices. Bechtel is based in San Francisco.
Booz Allen & Hamilton are expanding their headquarters with a 122,000-sf office in Tysons Corner owned by Equity Office Properties Trust. The build-to-suit, six-story building is situated on 4 acres next to the Booz Allen headquarters campus and is estimated to reach completion in April of 2002. Construction manager Trammell Crow is developing the Class A building, named E.J. Randolph II.
Newark-based Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield has leased 87,460 sf in Mount Laurel for consolidation and expansion of its presence in South Jersey. Employee relocation and closure of the Philadelphia and Evesham offices were scheduled for late June. The facility, which will employ more than 400 people, will act as a secondary headquarters for the state's largest health insurer. Horizon has signed a 15-year lease for the $11 million office, built by Boston-based Leggat McCall Properties.
Turner Broadcasting System Inc. broke ground on its Techwood campus in Atlanta in March 2000. Development of the campus network operations facility and office building is slated to move forward ahead of schedule, with the next phase of construction to begin in 2002. Despite design completion, however, development of TBS' new office tower has been pushed back from 2002 to 2004 in order to focus on the Techwood facilities.
McDonald's is making downtown Bethesda the site of its regional corporate operations. Relocating 150 to 170 employees from Fairfax, Baltimore, and Herndon offices, the regional headquarters will also provide meeting and training space for more than 80 managers and franchisees.
750 E. Pratt St. office building will be built on top of the already existing Baltimore Gas & Electric sub-station in downtown Baltimore. RTKL Associates of Baltimore designed the facility, redeveloping existing garden space into the main ground-floor lobby of the tower. A series of elevators to service the office tower only will ascend to the 4th floor ‘sky-lobby’ where RTKL has incorporated 30,000 sf of proposed retail space for future development. Another series of elevators will connect the sky-lobby to the remaining floors of the office tower.
Independence Park Institute, a $10 million educational building designed by Kallman, McKinnell and Wood Architects, will house interactive educational space for student visitors to Independence Mall each year. The building is as yet unfunded, but construction is scheduled to begin in December 2001, with completion in 2002. Construction at other Independence Mall sites includes the $12 million Liberty Bell Pavilion, the $40 million Visitors Center, and the $130 million National Constitution Center?all scheduled to open beginning fall 2001 through 2003.
Gannett will relocate approximately 1,800 employees from Arlington, Va., to a new 800,000-sf facility under construction at a 25-acre site in Tysons Corner. Approximately 75 employees of Gannett News Service and USA Today who cover federal government news will occupy 20,000 sf in a former Greyhound Bus terminal in Washington.
Industrial Light and Magic, the special-effects division of Lucasfilm, Ltd., will have a new home on 23 acres at San Francisco's historic Presidio. Site preparation, including demolition of the 10-story Letterman hospital, began in February 2001. The 900,000-sf campus will include offices, a 7-acre meadow, a restaurant, and a five-columned "folly" modeled on the Panama Pacific International Exposition. Approximately 2,500 employees and 1,500 vehicles will be accommodated at the complex.
The two-building First Avenue Corporate Center is being developed by Dallas-based Prentiss Properties to include many "green" features. Each 103,000-sf building will have sun-deflecting, energy-efficient glass; an air-conditioning system that brings fresh air into the facility as carbon dioxide levels rise, as well as "flushing" the building each night with fresh air. Recycled steel will be used in construction, and carpets and wallpaper will be made from recycled materials. Construction has already begun on the first building.
Southwest Business Corp. plans to consolidate its services at a new 100,000-sf headquarters on a 3.7-acre site in North Central San Antonio. Groundbreaking for the $12- to $14-million building plus 4.5-story parking structure is planned for 2003, with occupancy anticipated in 2005. The company provides insurance and financial services.
Vienna performing arts company Wolf Trap is planning to break ground on its new Center for Education in March. The $9 million, 53,371-sf facility will provide space for Wolf Trap Opera Company rehearsals, a special program hall, a 100-seat distance learning lecture hall, and a conference and multimedia learning center. The building will also house new offices and administrative space.
San Diego State University's (SDSU) Aztec Athletic Center and Hall of Fame was topped out in April by San Diego-based Nielsen Dillingham Builders. Completion of the project is anticipated by summer of 2001. Built on an existing 184,000-sf SDSU site, the $13.67 million project is being funded by donations from the owner of the San Diego Padres. The center will house administration, coaches' offices, a central utility plant, academic, support, and media relations facilities, as well as locker and weight rooms.
