Industry News

Coca Cola began construction in summer of 2009 on a $19 million bottling facility in Inner Mongolia, China. Slated for completion in 2010, the 140,000-sm project will produce 576 million bottles annually. The facility is Coca Cola’s 39th bottling plant worldwide.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai opened its £100 million European Knowledge Centre in Hatfield, U.K., in early July of 2009. Located on 14.5 acres in the Hatfield Business Park, the facility will accommodate 500 employees. The project includes a research laboratory, a manufacturing facility, an office building, and shared facilities. The European Knowledge Centre integrates the functions of discovery research, clinical development, production, packaging, marketing, and administration. 

Texas A&M University broke ground on the Citrus Center in Weslaco on June 30, 2009. Designed by Kell Munoz of San Antonio, the research facility is slated for completion in summer of 2010. The two-story Citrus Center will house research labs, diagnostic labs, meeting rooms, classrooms, administrative offices, and faculty offices. A large open laboratory will feature tissue culture areas, a cold room, and a mass spectrometer. The facility will support research on citrus fruit growth and production.

Mercy Health Partners is planning to build a $200 million hospital on a 60-acre site in Green Township, Ohio. Slated for occupancy in early 2014, the facility will accommodate between 200 and 250 beds. The new hospital will replace two of Mercy’s existing hospitals, which will be closed.

Dallas-based Capstar Commercial Real Estate Services is building a 770,000-sf data center in Mesquite, Texas. Developed in partnership with Cambray Group of Walnut Creek, Calif., the facility will be one the largest and most advanced data centers in the United States. The facility was designed by project architect RTKL to meet LEED sustainable design criteria. Thornton Tomasetti is providing structural engineering consultation.