Industry News

NFL Films's new 200,000-sf headquarters and production facility will initiate its first year of service with the 2002 football season. Designed by Russ Berger Design Group of Dallas and Garrison Architects of Bala Cynwyd, the project team also included the Philadelphia office of The Staubach Company as development manager and construction manager W.S. Cumby & Son of Swarthmore.

Pitcairn Properties of Jenkintown, Pa., is planning to build three office facilities totalling 600,000 sf to 750,000 sf adjacent to Wal-Mart's headquarters in Benton, Ark. Partnering with real estate investor and developer FBE Ltd. of New York, Pitcairn will build the $80- to $100-million project in phases. Wal-Mart's suppliers are expected to lease the offices, which Wal-Mart has requested be connected with its headquarters via fiber-optic cabling and an elevated walkway.

The new 2,300,000-sf headquarters of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is under construction. Located on eight acres in Alexandria, the facility consists of five 10-story buildings in a U-shaped complex, with a total of 3,800 parking spaces in two garages. Designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the headquarters features a pedestrian accessible 10-story atrium connecting the two wings of Building A, with all five buildings linked via underground walkways.

Current plans for the proposed Raleigh Convention Center describe a 410,000-sf facility housing 150,000-sf of exhibition space. An additional 30,000-sf of meeting and conference facilities will be accompanied by 25,000-sf of ballroom space. Estimated project cost is $175- to $200-million.

Electronic Arts has built the $86-million Electronic Arts Phase II in Redwood City, Calif. Located on a 649,000-sf site, the project began construction in December of 2000 and reached completion in May of this year. The contractor was Webcor Builders.