Industry News

The Office of Homeland Security may move into a 339,000-sf, eight-story stand-alone building with secure parking -- the largest block of contiguous office space available in Washington. The General Services Administration is bidding for the space against CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield, which is also looking to house its 1,275 employees in the city.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms' scheduled ribbon-cutting ceremony was postponed by the General Services Administration pursuant to the terrorist attacks. The $104-million building is being designed by architect Moshe Safdie to accommodate approximately 1,100 employees in 295,000 sf. Parking spots for 200 are also included in the project.

Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life insurance society, has selected Flad & Associates of Madison, Wis.,  to design a renovation of the Home Office Building. The finished facility will accommodate 400 employees in 270,000 gsf, providing technology-driven office space, flexible training for agents and underwriters, and a central computer system to serve three quarters of a million members.

Southwest Business Corp. plans to consolidate its services at a new 100,000-sf headquarters on a 3.7-acre site in North Central San Antonio. Groundbreaking for the $12 to $14-million building plus 4.5-story parking structure is planned for 2003, with occupancy anticipated in 2005. The company provides insurance and financial services.

BioMerieux, a medical test products company based in France, is expanding at Teer Technical Parking in Durham. The 36,378-sf facility, formerly occupied by Organon Teknika, will house the company’s corporate sales office and training center, and will accommodate approximately 95 employees. BioMerieux currently has offices down the street from the new facility.