Industry News

San Diego City College and Hewlett Packard are developing a $100,000 wireless mobile classroom. The computer lab will house 35 Hewlett Packard notebook computers, a combined printer-scanner-copier-fax machine and a digital camera.

Synygy, an employee benefits compensation programming and software company, has commissioned Syska Hennessy Group to design new mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems as well as the acoustics, audiovisual, telecommunications, and lighting for a new corporate headquarters. The 163,500-sf tenant fit-out projects is being undertaken in the historically significant Chester Station in Chester, Pa. The building is one of the best-preserved and most monumental early power plants in the U.S. dating back to 1917.

Northwestern University is building the Benjamin W. Slivka Residence Hall, a 141-bed suite style dormitory for the Science and Technology Residential College. The Evanston building features a cyber cafe, a coffeehouse-style gathering place with Internet connections. Architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates designed the $13-million facility, which is slated for completion in fall of 2002. The general contractor for the project is Novak Construction Company of Chicago.

Hays County has contracted the Austin office of Fort Worth-based Carter & Burgess to create the master plan and design for its consolidated courts and government center. Located on an eight acre county-owned site in central San Marcos, the complex will include four buildings. The first two facilities are estimated to reach 140,000- to 150,000 sf. Hays County currently occupies 80,000-sf in six separate San Marcos buildings.

Degussa Corp. recently broke ground on the 18,000-sf future headquarters of the company's fruit systems unit in Philadelphia. The division, which designs new products based on the interaction of fruit, flavors, and other ingredients, began relocation to its new home in summer of 2002 from Langhorne, Bucks County. Degussa currently operates a 150,000-sf production plant at the same location and aims to increase collaboration between its manufacturing, R&D and technology departments with the relocation.