Industry News

Sigma Xi, an international scientific and engineering honor society, is planning to build its $7-million headquarters in Research Triangle Park. The 50,200-sf facility will house a 200-seat auditorium, conference rooms, office space for the society's 44 employees, and a catering kitchen.

Cox Radio is consolidating the operations of its five Jacksonville radio stations into a single 28,000-sf facility in Southside Jacksonville. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in early March 2003 with occupancy slated for September. The project will cost $2-million to build, for a total occupancy cost of approximately $3.4-million.

Lucasfilm Ltd. broke ground in February on a $300-million special effects campus at San Francisco's Presidio, a 490-acre national park and former army base. Located on the site of the demolished Letterman Army hospital, the 850,000-sf Letterman Digital Arts project will eventually accommodate 2,500-workers. The campus is slated for completion in 2005.

Import-export company Pan American Enterprises is relocating operations from Concord, Calif., to 18,200 sf of recently acquired industrial and manufacturing space in Oakland. The two-story facility is sited on 1.49 acres.

Pixar Animation Studios has doubled plans for its Emeryville, Calif., campus to include three new buildings and a two-story parking garage. In addition to its existing 215,000-sf building, each of the new facilities could comprise up to 160,000 sf each. The first building will be sited on an undeveloped portion of Pixar's 14-acre campus. The second building will be constructed on the existing campus parking lot, and the third will replace the former Semifreddi's Baker Building purchased by Pixar, located across the street.