Industry News

The University of Alabama is planning to construct the 63,000-sf Capstone College of Nursing in Tuscaloosa. The $20 million, three-story facility will create a new gateway to the campus. The project manager is Hoar Construction.

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is building the Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center (MCSRIC) on Skidaway Island, Ga. The project broke ground in December of 2007 and will house 11,000-sf of research laboratories, space for visiting scientists, and instructional space for University System of Georgia marine science students. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility, which is slated for completion in spring of 2009.

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.

Utah State University dedicated its $13 million engineering laboratory building in Logan, Utah, in June of 2008. Housing research and laboratory space for the College of Engineering, the three-story, 38,000-sf facility will feature modular bays for undergraduate and graduate research.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has selected Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings to build the Dhs85-million Takreer Research Center project at Sas El Nakhl in Abu Dhabi. Located at the Petroleum Institute Campus, the 6,000-sm, three-story facility will include laboratories, a pilot plant, workshops, a gas bunker, and offices. Completion is expected in June of 2009.