Industry News

Pitcairn Properties of Jenkintown, Pa., is planning to build three office facilities totalling 600,000 sf to 750,000 sf adjacent to Wal-Mart's headquarters in Benton, Ark. Partnering with real estate investor and developer FBE Ltd. of New York, Pitcairn will build the $80- to $100-million project in phases. Wal-Mart's suppliers are expected to lease the offices, which Wal-Mart has requested be connected with its headquarters via fiber-optic cabling and an elevated walkway.

San Jose City College is building the 80,000-sf Tech Center. The five-story classroom facility will offer career courses in computer technology, business, and dental and emergency medical technologies. Designed by BFGC Architects of Oakland, Calif., the center will house the Institute for Business Performance and a 200-seat conference center. The project is one of five buildings planned as part of the community college's five-year capital development program and is being built by Barry Swenson.

Falmouth Hospital has selected SMMA/Hoskins Scott Associates, a practice group of SMMA/Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, to design a 63,250-sf medical pavilion. The three-story building will house medical offices, patient care facilities, rehabilitation services and an endoscopy suite.

The University of Georgia Athletic Association opened the Rankin M. Smith Sr. Student Athlete Academic Center on October 12. The $6.7-million, 31,000-sf center houses a multimedia classroom, computer labs, writing center, tutoring rooms, counselor's office and a 250-seat lecture and meeting hall.

Swiss pharmaceutical Novartis AG is renovating over 500,000-sf at the Necco (New England Confectionary Company) property in Cambridge for biotech use. Novartis plans to employs 600 technology experts, scientists and support staff at the facility. The lease is in addition to Novartis' previous Cambridge lease of 450,000 sf to house its worldwide research group.