Industry News

Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Walnut Creek, Calif., has selected architects Ratcliff of Emeryville, Calif., to design a new emergency department. The 32,000-sf facility will feature 52 private-visit rooms and will accommodate 73,000 patient visits per year. Slated to open in September 2003, the new emergency department will be 2.5 times the size of Kaiser's existing Walnut Creek emergency facilities.

Plainview, Texas-based Wayland Baptist University System is planning to add 319,000 sf of classroom and administrative space to its Wayland-San Antonio campus. The multimillion-dollar project will be housed on 26 acres of recently purchased land; with the additional acres, Wayland owns a total of 32.5 acres at the site. Construction on the five-building, 1,395-parking space development will probably not begin for another five years.

Jordan Hospital has selected Newton-based TRO, The Ritchie Organization, as architect for the Plymouth hospital's ten-year expansion project. Construction management will be provided by the Needham office of Gilbane Building Co., with Brookline-based Dunster Associates as project manager. The cancer center, the emergency department and outpatient services will be expanded.

Santa Clara-based software maker Network Associates Inc. plans to expand its Dallas-area operations by building a new regional office on 15.6 acres recently purchased in Plano, Texas. Employing 800 workers, Network Associates will replace its leased space in Dallas with the new facility.

Cerilliant Corp., a provider of chemical services and samples, is expanding its operations with a move to Round Rock, Texas, from Austin. Currently housed in a cramped 12,000 sf, Cerilliant will occupy 32,000 sf of the 40,000-sf AmorRon 3 building. Slated for late April, the move will involve substantial improvements including construction of an extensive laboratory facility. The relocation was prompted by a need for more space to accommodate current and projected company growth.