Industry News

The 32,000-sf San Diego Electrical Training Center just became the largest commercial building in San Diego powered by solar energy. The facility's photovoltaic system, installed by students, currently provides 50% of needed electricity, with the remaining sections to be installed by classes throughout the school year. The completed system will be large enough to power the entire facility. The Center provides hands-on training for union electricians in installation of traditional and renewable energy solutions.

The Memec Group of San Diego will relocate in March 2003 from 70,000- f in two Sorrento Mesa buildings to a five-story, 115,000-sf facility under construction in Del Mar Heights. The global semiconductor distributor will initially occupy 92,000-sf with an option to lease the remaining 23,000-sf within one to two years.

American Airlines is in involved in a $1.3-billion redevelopment of its John F. Kennedy International Airport terminal. Featuring three concourses on three levels with 55 gates and a passenger check-in the size of a football stadium, the facility will be JFK's largest terminal upon completion. The new building will include a new international arrivals facility that will be able to process up to 2,400 people an hour. The terminal will be able to accommodate up to 14 million passengers annually when the project is completed in September 2006.

Sweden-based AstraZeneca is adding 80,000-sf to its 190,000-sf Waltham facility. The project is slated for completion in 2003.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute dedicated the WPI Bioengineering Institute in July. Worcester Polytechnic plans to collect the 4,500-sf of lab and office space, currently in disparate campus locations, in one building. The Institute's first tenant company is Insight Neuroimaging Systems LLC, a developer of radio-frequency coils for MRI machines.