Industry News

Wright Medical Technology is planning to relocate from Arlington to a 285,000-sf building in Shelby County, TN, that formerly housed the headquarters of Concord EFS. The new facility will accommodate Wright's corporate headquarters, R&D, and administration. The orthopedic medical device maker is also proposing to construct a 150,000-sf manufacturing and distribution facility at the site.

Miles College, a historically black college founded in 1905, has completed three projects totaling $17 million on its Fairfield, Ala., campus: a 55,000-sf, 250-bed dormitory for men; a 45,000-sf classroom, seminar, and auditorium facility; and the renovated Brown Hall, which houses executive suites and conference rooms featuring state-of-the-art technology. The projects were designed by Exford LLC of Birmingham and built by Doster Construction Co.

Honda Motor Co . broke ground on May 11, 2005 on a 250,000-sf manufacturing facility in Tallapoosa, Ga. The $100-million plant will produce 300,000 automatic transmissions annnually beginning in fall 2006 and will employ 400 workers.

The University of California, Berkeley has selected HNTB Architecture for the planned renovation of its historic 82-year-old Memorial Stadium. The 73,347-seat stadium, which sits on the Hayward fault line, requires structural reinforcements to protect against the threat of an earthquake. The facility will also be expanded so that other intercollegiate teams can utilize the stadium for training. Construction is expected to begin after the 2006 football season.

Northside Hospital is constructing a three-story, $39-million surgical center at its existing hospital in Cumming, Georgia. The project consists of 109,000 sf of new construction and 29,000 sf of renovations and will house 8 operating rooms, 17 post-anesthesia care units, and expanded radiology services. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2006.