Transportation

The Boeing Co. is constructing a 140,000-sf complex in St. Louis where it will fuel, install avionics and prepare for test flights T-45s (Navy jet trainers), F-15s and F/A-18s. The $104-million complex will include a hangar, painting facilities, "hush houses" for testing jet engines, and shelters for airplanes awaiting work. The hangar will house office space and three "clear span" bays for airplane work. The project began construction in July 2002 and is slated for completion in January 2004. Contractor for the project is McCarthy.

FlightSafety Boeing Training International will construct a $60-million aviation training center in Atlanta. The 52,000-sf facility is expected to begin operations in January 2004 and will house six full-flight simulators and associated training activities. Employing 50 full-time workers, the center will train up to 7,000 pilots annually. FlightSafety Boeing is soon to be renamed Alteon.

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. of Bologna, Italy, a manufacturer of racing motorcyles, has relocated its North American headquarters to Cupertino, Calif., from New Jersey. The 12,000-sf facility, desirable in its proximity to the highest-selling Ducati dealerships in the U.S., was previously occupied by Apple Computer.

Toyota Motor Corp. will spend $800-million to construct its sixth North American vehicle manufacturing plant in southwest San Antonio. Sited on 2000 acres, the facility will begin to produce 150,000 Tundra pickups annually in 2006.

The Port of Oakland is planning a $1.4-million Terminal Expansion Program (TEx) at the Oakland International Airport. The first phase of the multiyear program will include renovation and expansion of Terminal 2 and construction of two new facilities, a customer service building and a seven-level parking garage.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a producer of business jet aircraft, has awarded UNICCO Service Company a $41-million, five-year contract to provide integrated facilities services for Gulfstream's manufacturing, completions, offices, and service facilities in Georgia. Contract services include plant operations, equipment maintenance and test equipment calibration, ground support, facilities engineering, space allocation, and subcontractor management.

NT Techno USA, a Japanese auto parts manufacturer, is planning to construct a 60,000-sf distribution facility in Oxford, N.C. The facility will be sited on 26-acres under contract for purchase and will employ 50 workers.

The $17.9-million Regional Transportation Center is under construction in San Diego. Located on a 1.4-acre site in City Heights, the project will feature a 60,000-sf facility that will promote awareness of alternative fuel vehicles. The building is being funded via a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and by the San Diego Environmental Foundation, Ford Motor Co., Pearson Ford, California Air Resources Board, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the city of San Diego.

Aviation Institute of Maintenance has relocated to a $2-million, 16,000-sf facility constructed for the school by Turner Construction at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.  Formerly known as the Quaker City Institute of Aviation, the school moved to its new location from South Philadelphia.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has selected Albert Kahn Associates (AKA), in collaboration with local consultant Hermosillo y Asociados Arquitectos S.C. (HyAA) to provide full architectural and engineering services for a new greenfield facility for the painting of Tacoma truck beds. The project is comprised primarily of a paint shop with welding and assembly capabilities.

Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) is engaged in a 126,000-sf expansion of its Technical Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The $38.8-million project is comprised of additions to the engineering building, prototyping, testing, and styling (PTS) building, parking lots and styling studio, as well as improvements to the facility's mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

World Airways has leased 70,200 sf in Morrow for an airplane parts distribution warehouse. Located in a 100,200-sf warehouse center, the facility will enable World Airways to consolidate its operations to Atlanta, as the carrier plans to close its Delaware distribution facility with the move to Morrow. World Airways is a 15-airplane long-haul charter operator that serves the U.S. Armed Forces.

DaimlerChrysler's new 543,000-sf state-of-the-art manufacturing facility began production in July 2002. The engine plant is located on a brownfield construction site adjacent to the existing Kenosha Engine Plant in Kenosha, Wisc. The new plant is attached to the existing plant via a connector link that centralizes the shipping docks of both facilities and serves as a common utility route between both facilities and the new compressor building.

Toyota has completed the expansion and renovation and of its regional Mansfield office. The eight-month project, performed by Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction, involved 26,518 sf of renovations and construction of a 3,400-sf addition.

The General Services Administration has awarded AI the interior design contract for the Department of Transportation's new 1.4-million-sf Southeast Federal Center headquarters. Based on designs by Gensler, the headquarters will be constructed on a 55-acre site along the Anacostia River.