Industry News

Torbay Hospital is building a £5 million education and research center in Torquay, United Kingdom. Featuring a virtual operating theater and computer simulators, the three-story project will support training in advanced surgical techniques. The facility is being built by general contractor Kier Western. Slated for completion in early 2009, the building includes a clinical learning zone with teaching facilities.

West Chester Medical Center’s $225 million hospital is slated for completion in May of 2009 in West Chester Township, Ohio. The 383,000-sf, 160-bed facility is being built by Mortenson-Messer Healthcare Construction. The project broke ground in July of 2006.

Nipissing University opened its $6.6 million instructional facility in Bracebridge, Ontario, in October of 2008. The two-story, 26,000-sf building is sited on the University’s Muskoka campus and includes a 100-seat lecture hall, ten classrooms, meeting and seminar rooms, faculty offices, a science laboratory, and a learning commons. The facility can accommodate 675 students and features wireless technology. Construction began in the project in October of 2007.

U.S. automation company National Instruments will initiate construction in 2009 on an $80 million R&D facility in Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia. The building will accommodate up to 1,500 employees and is slated for occupancy in 2010.

United Solar Ovonic began construction in fall of 2008 on a $220 million solar cell manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Mich. Located in the Fort Custer Industrial Park, the 265,000-sf building is slated for completion by year-end 2009. United Solar Ovonic is a subsidiary of photovoltaics developer Energy Conversion Devices of Detroit.