Industry News

The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at Houston is constructing three new projects. The planned $62-million Biomedical Research and Education center will accommodate adult stem cell research and teaching with laboratories, support spaces, multipurpose conference rooms, and office space. The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston will replace its current six-story facility with a new building estimated to cost $9 million. Both projects will be located in the 100-acre UT Research Park jointly developed by UTHSC and the University of Texas M.D.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center opened its new 85,000-sf outpatient cancer treatment center in Basking Ridge, N.J., in September of 2006. Designed by EwingCole of Philadelphia, the $72.5-million facility is sited on 26 acres of wooded land in the Mountain View Corporate Center and features the latest concepts in therapeutic design including extensive use of windows and natural light. The building houses approximately 100 employees and can accommodate 200 patient visits per day. The center could expand in the future to 162,000 sf. 

Retail technology company NCR Corp. has cut $78 million annually from its worldwide facilities operating budget by reducing leases and selling under-utilized properties. By implementing electronic technology for mobile employees, NCR has been able to reduce the need for office space, cut operating costs, and consolidate workers. Last year, NCR sold 49 acres to the University of Dayton. Over five years, NCR has reduced its leased and owned properties from approximately 800 to 300 facilities and will continue to evaluate its needs.

Southern Methodist University opened its new $16 million Embrey Engineering Building in Dallas for the fall semester of 2006. Through sustainable design technologies, the three-story facility will save approximately $70,000 annually in energy costs and will seek LEED® Gold level certification. The cost of meeting the LEED® criteria added three percent to the project's construction cost. Sustainable design features of the engineering facility include: 

UC Berkeley will open the $162-million Stanley Hall in January of 2007. The 285,000-sf biosciences and bioengineering facility will house approximately 40 research labs, administrative and bioengineering department offices, and up to 10 core facilities. One of these core facilities, the 11,000-sf Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, will manufacture chips for biochemical and medical applications. Stanley Hall will serve over 30 faculty and over 100 graduate students and is designed to foster multi-disciplinary collaboration.