Industry News

The University of Minnesota opened the Medical Devices Center at the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on June 24, 2008. The $400,000 technology-rich facility will enable researchers to design, prototype, and test new medical devices. Housing a computer-aided precision design center, a fabrication facility, and a 3D surgical imaging suite, the Medical Devices Center is part of the University of Minnesota's Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM). The Institute will expand to a total of 50,000-sf of research and office space on three floors by 2011.

Idaho National Laboratory has selected CH Construction to build the new $4 million Common Support Building (CSB) at the Advanced Test Reactor Complex west of Idaho Falls. Accommodating 80 employees, the 16,400-sf sustainably-designed facility will feature advanced HVAC and lighting systems.

Georgia Tech Research Institute initiated the second phase of construction at its Food Processing Technology Building in Atlanta in summer of 2008. The $3 million project will add 10,000-sf of laboratory, office, and R&D space to the existing $8 million, 35,000-square-foot facility.

Nicolaus Copernicus University has selected engineering consultants PM Group of Ireland to design its €8 million quantum physics research center in Torun, Poland. The 2,000-sm facility will include five technology-rich laboratories and is slated for completion by year-end 2010. The project will support quantum optics research with the goal of eliminating current obstacles to the creation of a quantum computer.

Ocean County College initiated construction in June of 2008 on a $12 million social science center in Toms River, N.J.  Built to meet LEED sustainable design criteria, the 30,000-sf academic building will include classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, and a conference room. The project team is comprised of DMR Architects, KS Engineers, and consulting engineers French & Parrello. Completion is slated for September of 2009.