Industry News

Ambulatory Surgery Centers of America is developing the Rockwall Surgery Center, a 9,000-sf freestanding outpatient surgery center sited on 1.2 acres in Rockwall, Texas. Construction will begin in September 2003 on the $5-million facility which will open in March 2004. The facility will house three operating rooms and will provide orthopedic, general surgery, gynecology, colon and rectal, colonoscopy, ear-nose-throat, podiatry, and pain management services. Ambulatory Surgery Centers, a physician-owned company headquartered in Norwell, Mass., will manage the new facility.

Mid-Pacific Institute, a college preparatory school in Honolulu, opened its new technology complex and plaza in August 2003. The three-building, 39,000-sf complex houses 14 math and science classrooms, a biotechnology lab, a distance learning center, a digital video studio, meeting rooms with video conferencing capabilities, and zones for robotics, computational sciences, engineering, and design.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, based in Pasadena, Calif., is planning to construct a $25-million biotech facility at its Seattle Life Sciences complex. The $25-million, 129,000-sf research and development project will replace the 55,000-sf Eklind Hall, the oldest building in the complex. The 10-story building will include five levels of underground parking. Additionally, Alexandria recently spent $35-million to purchase biotech incubator Accelerator Corp.’s Seattle facility. The building is currently under construction with completion expected in October 2003.

ATX Communications is relocating its headquarters from Bala Cynwyd to 102,000 sf in Upper Merion. Doubling ATX’s footprint, the move will enable consolidation of the company’s 500-plus area employees in one location and provide room for expansion. ATX will move to the new facility, which is currently occupied by Wyeth, in January 2004.

Georgetown University has completed its 860,000-sf Southwest Quadrangle Project. Designed as three connected buildings, the complex includes three 315,400-sf residence halls, a 64,000-sf Jesuit community residence and chapel, an 81,170-sf dining hall, and a 400,000-sf, 780-vehicle underground parking garage with a fuel cell bus maintenance facility at the lowest level. Architect of record for the project is Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and Engineering, with Clark Construction Group as project contractor. The design architect is Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York.