Industry News

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 .

Law firm Preston Gates & Ellis has completed its 220,000-sf headquarters in Seattle , Wash. Designed by STUDIOS Architecture, the facility features specific design elements to increase productivity: