Industry News

Battelle, an Ohio-based technology research company, opened its $20-million Harford County research facility in early March 2003. Sited on 89 acres at the Higher Education and Applied Technology (HEAT) Center in Aberdeen, Ohio, the facility will accommodate over 200 engineers, scientists and technicians in laboratories dedicated to chemical, biological, and technology R&D.

Vista-based BioFilm Inc.'s new headquarters will be built on 3.52 acres in the Palomar Corporate Center in Vista, Calif. The 60,860-sf leased facility, developed by Moxie Pacific Palomar LLC, will be ready for occupancy by Jan. 1, 2004.

Texas Lutheran University in Seguin is developing a 30,000-sf complex to house the College of Professional studies. Serving the departments of education, business administration and kinesiology, the facility will include a large tiered classroom, a conference center, seminar rooms, smaller classrooms and conference rooms, and faculty offices. Technological features will include electronically controlled projection screens and high-speed Internet access.

The Greater Kelly Development Authority (GKDA) will develop six office/warehouse buildings on 40 acres at KellyUSA in San Antonio as the Billy Mitchell Business Center. The $28-million, 513,600-sf project aims to attract industrial firms including new vendors for Toyota Motor Corp. Two of the facilities will comprise 83,700 sf each, with the remaining four buildings at 86,550 sf each. GKDA plans to offer tenants smaller leases of between 5,000 sf and 15,000 sf.

The National Archives Building, built in 1935, is undergoing a $110-million renovation that will restore the facility's rotunda and install fiber-optic lighting systems and high-security vaults. Mechanical and electrical systems will be upgraded, and head space in the exhibit galleries will be created by the removal of several floors, shrinking the building's total space from 1.4-million sf to 900,000 sf.