Industry News

Southwest Washington Medical Center began construction in January 2005 on a new 359-space parking structure on its Vancouver campus. In April construction will begin on a 307,000-sf, $146 million patient care building. The eight-story facility will include 15 new surgery suites, 154 private patient rooms, and a dedicated heart and vascular health center. Completion is expected in December 2006.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation has awarded architectural firm NBBJ the contract to design its new 110-bed medical center in San Carlos, Calif. The $300 million facility is expected to reach completion by 2011

United Biochemicals is planning a 20,000-sf expansion of of manufacturing and warehousing operations at its existing 23,000-sf facility in Sanborn, N.Y. The $1.2-million project will enable the biochemical manufacturer to add 30 more jobs to its existing staff of 24 over the next five years. The facility, sited in the Inducon Industrial Park, is slated for completion in February 2005.

IBM Corp. and six other semiconductor companies will invest $1.9 billion to construct a chip manufacturing plant in East Fishkill, N.Y. The plant will creat 750 jobs, in addition to 250 research-related positions. The partners in the consortium are reported to include Samsung, Sony Corp., Toshiba, Infineon Technologies, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Advanced Micro Devices.

Nielsen Media Research (NMR), a provider of television audience measurement and monitoring services, has completed its new $71.5 million, 39-acre corporate campus in Oldsmar, Fla. The 475,000-sf Phase I campus consists of five interconnected buildings which include training rooms, conference facilities, and a 4,000-sf employee cafeteria that can accommodate over 330 people. The project features a four-story, 100,000-sf data center and central plant with a 25,000-sf computer room.