Industry News

Kaiser Permanente will begin construction of a 637,000-sf medical center on its Antioch campus in 2004. The project will include a 297,000-sf medical office and a 340,000-sf, 150-bed hospital. The medical center is slated to open in 2007, pending regulatory approval. Kaiser is also building a 50,000-sf medical center in Tracy, Calif. expected to reach completion in spring 2005.

Samsung Austin Semiconductor is initiating a $500-million improvement of its Austin, Texas plant. Adding 40,000-sf of cleanroom space, the project will update the facility from 130-nanometer to 90-nanometer technology beginning in May 2003. The facility is owned by Seoul, Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) broke ground on its 281-acre research campus at Janelia Farm in Northern Virginia on May 5. The $500 million development will accommodate over 300 scientists and staff and is slated to reach completion in 2005. The project’s first 650,000-sf phase includes lab, research, housing, conference, and meeting space. The project manager for the first phase of construction is Jacobs Facilities, a subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering of Arlington, Va. HHMI is based in Chevy Chase, Md.

Virtua Health has completed its new $12-million emergency department expansion and renovation project in Voorhees, N.J. The facility, housing 35,000 sf of additional space and 36 new examination and treatment rooms, celebrated its grand opening on May 17, 2003. 

Weslaco Hospital recently broke ground on a new 40,000-sf Conference Center at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco. Constructed by contractor McCarthy, the $4.8-million project will house a 4,800-sf multipurpose meeting room seating 200, three classrooms seating 25, a computer lab, and Education Department offices. The facility will also house the Diabetes Center, Accreditation, Quality Management, and the Hospital Information Services departments. Designed by PageSoutherlandPage of Houston, the project is slated for completion in February 2004.