Industry News

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:

Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co. is planning a 75,000-sf expansion of its research center in Niskayuna , N.Y. The $25 million project will create new offices and labs at the chemical engineering building at the site. Construction will begin in late 2004 and reach completion in 2005. Plans describe the construction of an additional 10,000-sf facility for manufacturing and research. GE is engaged in the $100 million renovation of its 1.4 million-sf GE Global Research Center at the site.

Mercy Hospital opened its new $40 million heart center in Coon Rapids, Minn., in August 2004. Adding three floors to the hospital, the project created 24 new inpatient rooms and 14 short-stay rooms. The expansion also accommodates a women's cardiovascular center, a sleep disorders center, a vascular center, catheterization labs, emergency services, and pediatric rehabilitation services. Construction began on the heart center in January of 2003. Mercy Hospital is owned by Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals and Clinics.