Industry News

Children's Mercy Hospital South in Overland Park, Kan. has completed an expansion that quadrupled the hospital's size from 47,580 sf to 189,000 sf. Increasing bed count from 17 to 50, the project also expanded the urgent care center, radiology, and lab space and added two inpatient units. The cost of the project, which began in July 2002, was over $30 million.

New Jersey-based Merck & Co. is planning to construct the 600,000-sf headquarters for its U.S. Human Health Division on a 154-acre site in Lower Gwynedd Township , Pa. Construction is slated to begin in mid-2005 and reach completion in two years. Additionally, Merck expects to complete the 375,000-sf expansion of its existing facility in Upper Gwynedd Township in 2006. The cost of both projects is estimated at $200 million.

LG Chem Industrial Materials, a unit of the LG Group of Korea , will build a 150,000-sf manufacturing plant in Georgia ’s Gordon county. Representing a $40 million investment, the facility will create up to 70 new jobs initially with a significant potential for growth within five years. LG Chem is a chemical company that manufactures products ranging from petrochemical goods to high performance polymers and plastics.

Lear Corp ., a Southfield, Mich.-based manufacturer of auto parts, is opening a $4-million, 53,760-sf facility at the Ford Motor Co.’s manufacturing campus in Chicago . The plant will produce headliners and package trays for several Ford models. Lear is one of twelve auto suppliers located in Ford’s 155-acre supplier manufacturing campus.

The University of California Riverside has selected Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott (SBRA) of Riverside to design its new Genomics building. The 110,000-sf building will provide the University’s Genomics Institute with state-of-the-art research laboratories for its faculty, researchers, and support staff. SBRA is designing the $34.4-million project in association with RBB Architects of Los Angeles .