Industry News

The University of Oregon will begin construction in fall 2005 on the $8.5-million Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnology Institute (ONAMI) facility in Eugene, Ore. To be constructed entirely underground, the 19,000-sf single-floor project will be excavated, anchored to the bedrock, and then covered up again to provide maximum stability and vibrational isolation for the facility's specialized instrumentation. Other projects at the University include:

Construction is sixty percent complete on Marshall University 's Robert G. Byrd Biotechnology Center in Huntington, W.V. The $42-million, six-story structure will accommodate two auditoriums, three teaching labs, several conference rooms, and approximately 45 laboratories. Slated for completion in fall 2006, the facility will be open for classes in January 2007. The center is the Marshall University's largest capital improvement project to date.

DHL has initiated construction on a $107-million distribution facility in Allentown, Pa. The 290,000-sf building will serve as DHL's principal distribution center on the East Coast. Housing 200,000 sf of mezzanine workspace and 12,000 sf of office space, the facility will employ 340 workers when it becomes operational in fall of 2006. The center's handling capacity is 40,000 letters or 50,000 parcels an hour. DHL is headquartered in Plantation, Fla.

Hewlett Packard Co. has expanded its presence in Memphis, Tenn., with the lease of the 789,000-sf Summit Distribution Center II. The facility will accommodate distribution operations for HP's imaging and printing businesses. Operations at the Memphis facility will be filled by Menlo Worldwide, a third-party supplier. The facility is expected to become operational in fall 2005.

The University of Florida will initiate construction on a new multidisciplinary research facility on its Gainesville campus by late fall 2005. Slated for completion in spring 2006, the project will accommodate research for the UF Genetics Institute, the UF Shands Cancer Center, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research. The six-story, 350,000-sf building will house research laboratories, animal research facilities, faculty and administrative offices, and a rooftop greenhouse.