Industry News

NetReach, a host and developer of Websites, plans to transform a 200,000-sf former asbestos manufacturer's warehouse into a high-tech hub for its operations. After $10 million in upgrades, the warehouse will become Two eCommerce Plaza, an "Internet-centric" small business park. NetReach, currently housed in an adjacent 12,000-sf building, will move into the new telecom structure when renovations are completed at the end of 2000. Space unoccupied by NetReach will be made available to other Web-based companies.

Iowa State University has selected Sasaki Associates of Watertown, Mass., and Baldwin White Architects of Des Moines, Iowa, for the design of the Union Drive Neighborhood at the University. A 1,200-bed residence hall will be renovated and three new 320-bed facilities will be constructed. Dining facilities for 875 people will be accommodated in a new 45,000-sf community building. In addition, computer labs, meeting rooms, a post office, game room, demonstration bakery, 75-seat café, and private dining facilities will be included in the project.

Nokia’s 135,000-sf facility in San Diego’s Scripps Northridge Corporate Center has a new space plan and design for tenant improvements, thanks to the work of Austin Veum Robbins Parshalle of San Diego, in association with Divan+Studio.The shell and core of the new facility, completed in September 2000, was designed by a collaboration of Davis & Davis Architecture and McGraw/Baldwin Architects. The general contractor is Hensel Phelps Construction Co.   Interiors for the project were done by DPR Construction.

SAP AG, the German producer of business software, plans to expand its American operations headquarters at its Newtown Square campus. Construction of 700,000 sf of office space will include three centers: the SAP Global Solutions Center, the SAP Institute for Innovation and Development, and the SAP Partner E-Business Center. Currently, 1,500 people are employed at the site; the expansion will accommodate an additional 600 staff. Completion is anticipated in late 2002.

Johns Hopkins University recently dedicated the new 50,000-gsf Academic and Research Building for its Montgomery County campus at the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center in Rockville. The three-story structure features state-of-the-art research and education facilities: four computer labs; 22 "smart" classrooms configured for video conferencing, multimedia presentations, and high-speed transmission of large databases; a coffee house; a bookstore; and student meeting spaces.