Industry News

IBM opened its new data center in February of 2010 in Research Triangle Park, N.C.  The 100,000-sf facility supports cloud computing and operates on half the energy required for a conventional data center. The facility features reduced technology infrastructure costs while delivering improved quality and speed of services. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Singapore Emulsion Fuel opened the first clear nano-emulsion diesel plant in Asia in February of 2010. The 40,000-sf facility is located in the Tuas district in Singapore. The plant produces an emulsion diesel fuel that can be utilized without any retrofitting or modification of engines and releases fewer harmful gas emissions. 

South Dakota State University is building the $51 million Avera Health and Science Center in Brookings, S.D. Created in partnership with Avera Health, the 144,000-sf project is comprised of 96,000 sf of new construction and 48,000 sf of renovated space. Housing the College of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the center will provide classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, and faculty offices. Construction began on the project in June of 2008. The facility will open in fall of 2010.

Foothill-De Anza Community College will expand its California facilities with the construction of two new buildings. In Los Altos, the Foothill Physical Sciences Village will provide three separate buildings to house the Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Nanotechnology, and Astronomy departments. The Classroom building includes six 40-seat classrooms and two 72-seat lecture rooms, while the Laboratory building holds four chemistry laboratories, two physics laboratories, and three multipurpose laboratories to be shared by the Astronomy and Engineering departments.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Passavant completed its 220,000-sf pavilion addition in February of 2010. The seven-story facility houses a cancer center, an emergency department, surgical suites, and an intensive care unit. The LEED-certified facility features abundant natural light, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and non-toxic building materials.