Industry News

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) opened its new $22-million Science and Technology Facility in Golden, Colo., in July of 2006. Designed to consolidate its research facilities into a single campus, the building enables NREL scientists to collaborate with private sector companies in photovoltaics and energy efficiency research. The Science and Technology Facility will also house the Department of Energy's local field office and 130 employees. Three additional facilities are planned at the site with construction beginning in 2007.

The University of Texas Health Sciences Center has been allocated $60-million in tuition revenue bonds by the State of Texas. The funds will enable the expansion of the South Texas Research Facility, accommodating additional biomedical and counter-bioterrorism research.

California State University, Bakersfield broke ground in July 2006 on a $19 million math and computer science building. Slated for completion by the winter 2008 school term, the three-story, 54,651-sf facility will house 70 faculty offices, 15 laboratories, and seven classrooms. The project team consists of designers STUDIOS Architecture of San Francisco and general contractor S.C. Anderson of Bakersfield.

The University of Texas at San Antonio was awarded $74-million in state tuition revenue bonds in July of 2006 to fund the construction of its new engineering building.

Johns Hopkins University is expanding operations at its Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The engineering and R&D center will occupy a six-story, 243,000-sf facility that is under construction in the adjacent Montpelier Research Park. TC MidAtlantic Development, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow, is developing the six-story facility in partnership with Lovell America Inc. The project will break ground in late July of 2006 and reach completion by October of 2007.