Industry News

The U.S. Bureau of the Census is planning a new headquarters at Suitland Federal Center. Consolidating employees from six facilities, three of which are in the Center, the headquarters is being developed by the General Services Administration's National Capital Region (NCR) to meet the silver level of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEEDTM rating system, as well as the GSA's Design Excellence and Construction Excellence Programs.

The Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT) is planning a $25-million, 136,600-sf expansion and renovation of its Westhampton Campus. Slated for completion in January of 2004, the project is being designed by Cape May Courthouse, N.J.-based architect the Design Collaborative. Additions totalling 72,900-sf will include a new gym and three classrooms. A total of 63,400 sf will be renovated, upgrading existing classrooms, athletic fields, the cafeteria, and other school areas, as well as several office and classroom relocations.

BioMerjeux, a France-based medical-testing products company, opened its new Durham customer service and call center at Teer Technical Park in June.

Technology High School at McKinley's 300,000-sf, $40-million renovation will be delivered by general contractor James G. Davis Construction of Rockville with joint venture partner HRGM. The public/private partnership on the project resulted in $20 million in city-allocated funds with private fund-raising to match, resulting in office space for technology companies also being located on the campus.

Morphotek, the first biotech company to graduate from the Port of Technology incubator in West Philadelphia, will occupy a 41,000-sf facility in Exton. Previously located in 2,000 sf in the University City Science Center's Port of Technology building, the genomics-based life sciences company's agricultural technologies require land on which to grow crops. At present, 20,000-sf of the new Chester County headquarters are ready, and Morphotek plans to outfit the remainder for small-scale manufacturing over the next year.  Expansion at the new site