Industry News

The Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania will renovate an 80,000-sf facility in Pittsburgh to for potential robotics tenants. Located in the state-designated Lawrenceville enterprise zone, the facility is sited at One Chocolate Square with desirable proximity to the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute cluster. The two-story facility will house up to 11 tenants and create up to 100 jobs.

Purdue University is building the 69,000-sf Dauch Alumni Center. Housing the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office, the facility will also accommodate events and meetings with a banquet hall, conference rooms, and a display area. Completion is expected in time for Gala Week of 2004.

Construction is approximately 50% complete on Purdue University's Martel Forest Research Center. Sited on a 425-acre property of native forests and tree plantations, the research laboratory, two-bay greenhouse and attached head house will provide space for tree research. Housing a teaching laboratory, a conference facility, space for ten scientists and professional staff, and storage, the facility will also provide meeting space for educational programs and researcher offices. Occupancy is expected in June 2003.

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. of Bologna, Italy, a manufacturer of racing motorcyles, has relocated its North American headquarters to Cupertino, Calif., from New Jersey. The 12,000-sf facility, desirable in its proximity to the highest-selling Ducati dealerships in the U.S., was previously occupied by Apple Computer.

Kaiser Permanente is working with San Francisco architectural firm Gordon H. Chong & Partners in teamwork with SmithGroup Inc. to develop a standardized template for Kaiser's new hospitals. Establishing models for developing new facilities and renovating existing buildings, the templates will create flexible floorplans and layouts for Kaiser's small, medium, and large hospitals.