Industry News

Human Genome Sciences hopes to relocate its 600 employees from Rockville, Md., to a 45-acre headquarters in North Potomac. Preliminary plans for the new campus: a 400,000-sf to 500,000-sf initial build-out, with the potential for up to one million sf. Pending approval by the Montgomery County Planning Board in July, final relocation plans will be ready by fall. Construction could begin by summer 2001, with move-in sometime in 2003. Head-count at the facility could reach 2,500 over the next several years.

Palm Inc., maker of handheld computing devices, will begin first-phase construction in November on a new $130 million corporate headquarters in North San Jose. Webcor Builders has been selected as general contractor for the mammoth 1.6 million-sf project that will accommodate ten four- to seven-story buildings including a common-use facility and three parking garages. The first phase of construction is expected to cost approximately $50 million.

Media Arts Group has plans for a new four-building campus on 22.71 acres at the proposed 80-acre Madrone Business Park in Morgan Hill. A total of 302,798 sf is planned for the Media Arts site. The first two buildings will be a corporate office building (61,437 sf) and a production facility (155,353 sf). The developer, TBI-Mission West LLC, expects to start construction soon. Media Arts is the production and administrative division of Thomas Kinkade Galleries.

Applied Computer Solutions has awarded the contract for the design/renovation of its new 65,000-sf building to Ware & Malcomb Architects of Irvine, Calif. The company will provide architectural and interior design services including the renovation of the exterior of the building and site, parking lot, front entrance facade addition, and interior renovation. The project also includes the redesign of parking lot lighting, ADA site accessibility, landscaping and hardscaping.

TTC will build a new two-building corporate campus totaling 280,000 sf in Germantown. The facility for the high-tech company, which currently employs approximately 700 locally, is scheduled to begin construction in early 2001, with occupancy in mid-2002. A third 125,000 sf to 150,000 sf building is in the works for 2003, with an option for two additional structures by 2009 for a total of 700,000 sf at the site. TTC expects employee growth to total approximately 1,500 in the next eight years.