Industry News

Toto U.S.A. Holdings will occupy 436,400 sf of warehouse space in a facility developed by M.D. Hodges Enterprises in Atlanta’s Southpark. The facility is slated for completion in January 2004. Japan-based Toto U.S.A., a manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, will consolidate its East Coast distribution network in Southpark.

Albert Einstein Medical Center completed the $10 million renovation and expansion of its emergency department in November 2003. Nearly doubling previous emergency space, the project created a 23,000-sf emergency department for the North Philadelphia hospital. The facility features an infrared patient tracking system, 33 private exam rooms, two diagnostic imaging rooms, mobile wireless workstations, portable ultrasound machines, and a high-tech decontamination area.

The Food and Drug Administration and the General Services Administration celebrated the opening of the Federal Research Center in Silver Spring, Md., on December 11, 2003. As the first building in the FDA’s new complex, the facility marks the completion of the first phase of the campus consolidation project which will create several interconnected facilities totalling up to 2.2 million sf. Replacing leased space in suburban Maryland, the $674 million campus build-out is located on the site of the former Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Carolinas HealthCare System is planning the construction of an $85 million children’s hospital in Charlotte, N.C. Sited at Carolinas Medical Center, the new 230-bed facility will open in 2007.

The University of California, Berkeley will renovate the 54-year-old Bancroft Library to current seismic specifications as part of a $1 billion campuswide seismic retrofit project. The $20 million library renovation will provide additional space for classrooms, exhibits, reading, and storage, as well as creating ramps for disabled people. State-of-the-art climate control to protect aged manuscripts will be installed, and the computer network will be upgraded. The project is expected to begin in June 2005 and reach completion in eighteen months.