Industry News

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is constructing the 123,000-sf School of Public Health. The $39-million project, designed by Anshen & Allen Architects, is slated for completion in May of 2005. Contractor for the project is TA Loving, with engineering services provided by Stewart Engineering Inc.

JP Morgan Chase has begun work on a $20-million, 152,266-sf call center on its 35-acre Westover Hills campus. The new facility will provide office space for approximately 1300 employees of the bank's credit card operations department. Ground was broken on the three-story building in July 2002; construction is slated for completion in March of 2003. A curving covered walkway will link the facility to the bank's existing building on the site.

Progress Energy will begin construction in late 2002 on a new $80-million facility in downtown Raleigh. Located behind the company's current high rise, the 19-story building will house up to 400,000-sf of office space accompanied by 27,000-sf of street level retail space, 72 condominiums, and seven parking levels.

Amherst College has selected Payette Associates of Boston to design a new 60,000-sf combined Geology Building and Natural History Museum. Sited on campus to initiate a redefinition of a major campus space, the facility will include state of the art teaching labs for both introductory and advanced instruction in the geological sciences. Students in these disciplines will have access to their own specialized research spaces, map rooms, a library, and a multidisciplinary GIS lab.

San Diego State University (SDSU) has completed the $14-million Fraternity Row. Designed by San Diego architectural firm M.W. Steele Group Inc., the development consists of a 62-unit apartment complex and eight fraternity houses. Taylor Frager Inc. was the contractor for the project, which opened in time for SDSU's fall classes. Part of the $500-million College Community Redevelopment Project, Fraternity Row was funded by the SDSU Foundation.