Industry News

Phoenixville Hospital, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, is building a two-story $9.3-million open-heart surgery and advanced catheterization addition. Extending the hospital's operating suite by 2,405 sf, the project will create two additional 600-sf operating rooms. The project includes hospital renovations to accommodate a step-down recovery unit and cardiac intensive-care beds.

Samsung Austin Semiconductor, a subsidiary of South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co., has announced a $50-million capital investment at its Austin direct random access memory (DRAM) chipmaking plant. The upgrade will convert chip production from 0.17 microns to 0.146 microns, as well as producing double data rate (DDR) DRAM chips. The Austin plant, where 950 are employed, was built in 1996 at a cost of $1.3 billion. Since then, an additional $100-million in upgrades have been carried out.

Clear Channel Worldwide is nearing completion of its 123,000-sf Corporate Service Center in Stone Oak, Texas. The three-story, $15-million project will house a data center, a network operations center, seven call centers, and administrative offices. Construction is slated for completion at the end of October 2002, with occupancy of the data center beginning as early as Sept. 15. Employees will occupy the rest of the facility in phases over the next few months. The center will employ 400 workers.

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.