Industry News

German firm Leica Microsystems is relocating the headquarters of its semiconductor division to Chantilly, Va. A producer of life-science equipment, Leica will move its division base to a $1.5 million, 10,000-sf facility in the Westfields office park.

Delaware-based multinational DuPont is consolidating its seven Richmond-area warehouse and logistics centers into a new 800,000-sf two-building complex. The $30 million Chesterfield county relocation will is near DuPont's Spruance manufacturing plant.

Construction has begun on a new 750,000-sf headquarters for Chevy Chase Bank.  The building will feature two 15-story towers on a four-story base,  the 4,000-seat Roundhouse Theater and a 40,000-sf public plaza. Approximately 250,000 sf in the East Tower will be leased to corporate and retail tenants. Brennan Beer Gorman Monk/Architects & Interiors of Washington designed the building.

The National Cathedral School began construction of a 99,000-sf underground athletic center in November 2000. The $17.5 million facility will be located underneath a soccer field and is expected to open in February of 2002. Working with the restriction that no more than 14 percent of the 57-acre National Cathedral site may be developed, the center will be accessed via a small stone pavilion containing a three-story atrium and a  40-foot freestanding climbing wall.

Telecom giant AT&T Corp. will locate a 250,000-sf Internet data center at Riverside Business Park in Douglas County. Investing up to $500 per square foot for facility equipment and improvements, AT&T selected the site for its ample power supply, adequate parking and single-story facility space.