Industry News

The $800-million Washington Convention Center is slated for completion by March 31, 2003. Bethesda's Clark Construction Group is the general contractor for the 2.3-million-sf facility, which will house over 700,000-sf of exhibit hall space in five halls, 77 multifunctional meeting rooms totalling 125,000-sf, and a 52,000-sf, 5,000-seat ballroom.

Integra Health of San Antonio is developing "professional condominiums" for the medical industry in two office parks in the city. The individual units, for sale rather than lease, will range in size from 4,000 sf to 6,000 sf. Phase one of the 15,000-sf Stone Oak Professional Condominiums project, located on 8.5-acres on the North Central side of the city, will reach completion by late summer 2003.

Static Control Components of Sanford is planning to expand with the construction of an 80,000-sf manufacturing facility accommodating the company's photoelectronics interests. The building is slated for occupancy in June 2003.

Richmond, Va.-based Universal Leaf Tobacco Co. is investing $11-million to renovate a 350,000-sf office and warehouse facility in Oxford. Universal Leaf recently completed the construction of a $100-million processing plant in Nash County and the $28-million upgrade of its plant in Danville, Va.

The University of California, San Francisco has completed the 434,000-sf Genentech Hall on its Mission Bay Campus. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership served as design consultant to SmithGroup for the facility, which is the first to be constructed on the new 43-acre campus in San Francisco. Genentech Hall encompasses chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology and computational laboratories, laboratory support, offices, conference facilities, an auditorium, and a cafeteria.