Industry News

Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., will initiate construction on a $6.5-million student housing project by year-end 2004. Slated for completion by fall of 2005, the apartment-style dormitories will house up to 140 students. The project contractor is Capstone Development Corp. of Birmingham, Ala.

The University of New Mexico is engaged in constructing a new state-of-the-art cleanroom facility in its Manufacturing Training and Technology Center in Albuquerque. Partially funded by a $1.25-million grant from the Economic Development Administration, the cleanroom will enable student training in microfabrication. It will also serve as a shared use facility where local businesses can rent space.

Washington University in St. Louis has selected McCarthy Building Companies as construction manager for two new facilities designed by internationally renowned architect Fumihiko Maki . The $28-million project represents the new construction phase of the Sam Fox Arts Center .

Portland State University (PSU) is constructing the $44.5-million Northwest Center for Engineering, Science and Technology in Portland, Ore. The five-story, 130,000-sf facility will house the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory, 50 new teaching and research laboratories, additional classrooms and offices, and an auditorium. Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership to meet the U.S.

CARBO Ceramics , based in Irving, Texas, has broken ground on a $62-million manufacturing facility in McIntyre, Ga. The plant will have an initial annual manufacturing capacity of 250 million pounds and is expected to be operational by year-end 2005. CARBO Ceramics produces and supplies ceramic proppants which are used in the hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells.