Tradeline, Inc. filters and categorizes new-construction and industry news from regional and professional journals across the country. Here you will find new projects, products, and regulatory updates.
Industry News
General Motors Builds Brownstown Township Manufacturing Plant
General Motors has been awarded $241 million in stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support facilities development and R&D, including construction of a battery assembly plant in Brownstown Township. Mich. Ford received $100 million in grants and Chrysler will receive approximately $70 million. The funding was awarded by the Department of Energy to support the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative.
CDC Plans Chamblee Expansion
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to construct two new office buildings in Chamblee, Ga. The $300 million project will create two research support facilities. A 294,800-gsf building and a 285,500-gsf building with accompanying parking decks will enable the CDC to foster interaction and collaboration by consolidating 2,000 researchers currently dispersed in leased locations.
Saint-Gobain Opens Northborough R&D Facility
Saint-Gobain opened its expanded R&D center in Northborough, Mass., on July 31, 2009. The $15 million project added 61,000-sf of laboratory, office, and conference space to Saint-Gobain’s largest international research center. Construction began on the expansion in July of 2008. The project team included architect Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott of Boston with A.J. Martini of Winchester as construction manager. Saint-Gobain is a manufacturer of building materials, plastics, ceramics, and abrasives.
Solix Biofuels Opens Production Lab
Solix Biofuels opened the Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility in Durango, Colo., in July of 2009. Sited on 10 acres, the facility includes a laboratory and commercial-scale photo-bioreactors to produce 3,000 gallons of algae-based biofuel per acre at full capacity. The project features systems that automatically adjust to sunlight and temperature variations to maximize growth and production. Solix Biofuels is based in Fort Collins, Colo.
University of Rochester Medical Center Opens Ambulatory Surgery Facility
The University of Rochester Medical Center celebrated the opening its new 80,000-sf ambulatory surgery facility on July 30, 2009. The URMC Surgery Center features 10 operating suites, three procedure rooms, 43 private pre- and post-anesthesia cubicles, 10 post-anesthesia bays, a pharmacy, and sterile equipment processing facilities. The project team included developer Castle Office Group, designer Hanlon Architects, consultant D.J. Sullivan, and construction manager LeChase Construction.