The Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah is planning to construct a $740m concourse north of the existing terminal. The new concourse is expected to accommodate forecasted growth in passenger traffic and replace aging facilities.The project is in addition to the South Concourse, which is just starting construction as part of the Salt Lake City Department of Airport’s (SLCDA) Terminal Redevelopment Program (TRP).The new facility will increase the TRP from $1.8bn to $2.6bn and will replace existing gates on Concourses B, C and D, which have deficiencies that would require costly renovations if retained.The plans are on to include a flexible gate layout to serve a mix of aircraft sizes, even though the concourse will primarily be used for narrow-body and small, wide-body aircraft.The north concourse layout will allow an additional 15 gates to be added to the east for a total of 45 gates. Further, a passenger tunnel will be built to connect the North Concourse to the South Concourse and the new terminal.Phase one of the construction work will commence on the west portion of the building and is set to be finished in 2020, in conjunction with the opening of the South Concourse-West and the new terminal.
US-based chemical company Chemours is set to build a new $230m facility in Ingleside, Texas. The new move is part of the company’s five-point transformation plan to invest in large-scale manufacturing to expand supply of its Opteon family of products.Set to be built over three years, the new facility will be located at the Chemours Corpus Christi site and it is expected to triple the production capacity of Opteon products.The new plant will use an innovative, patented process to produce Opteon YF (HFO - 1234yf), which is used in automotive air conditioning and in Opteon refrigerant blends for a range of applications.Chemours’ president and CEO Mark Vergnano said: “Opteon products were developed in response to increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and in many cases they perform better than the products they replace.“This is another step in our transformation plan, and is a shining example of how Chemours is investing in innovative growth opportunities as we become a higher value chemistry company, delivering essential solutions that improve the quality of life.”The site is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2018.
Texas A&M University System chancellor John Sharp has unveiled plans for a new $150m research and development (R&D) campus. The new project will be located at the Riverside Campus, in the former Bryan Air Base, a World War II facility that Texas A&M University acquired in 1962. The 2,000-acre tract will be named the Rellis Campus.The $150m investment includes $25m to demolish 32 old buildings, rebuild roads and update utilities. The base's chapel and two hangars will be renovated in recognition of the site's role of training pilots for the World War II.Construction of the first building is likely to begin in September 2016 and the $25m in upgrades is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
China-based Sun Paper is set to invest more than $1bn in a bio-products mill in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The mill will be the company’s first facility in North America and will be located in the heart of Arkansas' timber industry, where 18.8m acres of its area are covered by forests. The facility will convert wood into pulp to be used for paper production.The project will create more than 2,000 direct jobs during construction work Once operational, the mill will employ 250 people directly and generate an additional 1,000 indirect jobs in the timber industry.Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said: "The fact Sun Paper is investing more than $1 billion in south Arkansas speaks volumes of their confidence in our workforce and pro-business environment."This is among the largest private investments in the state's history and the impact will be felt for generations. Thanks to Sun Paper for choosing Arkansas as the location for its first North American facility."Construction is expected to start in the first half of 2017 and production is scheduled to begin in late 2019.
Pharmaceutical company Allergan has begun work on a $200m expansion of its facility in Waco, Texas. The Waco facility is the company's flagship manufacturing facility for its eye care products such as Restasis, Lumigan, Combigan, Refresh Plus, Refresh Tears and Latisse. The project will increase the manufacturing space of the existing facility by 322,000 sq ft, nearly doubling its current footprint. The expansion will add a new raw material dispensary, an automated bulk formulation suite and ten new production lines, as well as warehousing space. The Waco facility will be able to manufacture more than 40 different products and its production capacity will be increased by more than 50%. When completed, the extended capacity will add about 100 full-time jobs, and at full utilization will have the potential to add 250 more. Allergan’s president and CEO Brent Saunders said: "Today's groundbreaking marks an important milestone for Allergan, strengthening our commitment to our people, operations and the partnership we have built with Waco and the Central Texas communities for 27 years. "This investment will add highly-skilled jobs to the Waco and Central Texas economies, elevate our manufacturing capabilities and increase our ability to provide more complex medicines to more physicians and their patients around the globe.” The construction, commissioning and validation of the facility expansion and production processes are scheduled to be completed by 2020.
The Georgia Institute of Technology and John Portman & Associates (Portman) have unveiled plans for the Coda collaborative building in Tech Square, Atlanta.Estimated to cost $375m, the 750,000 sq ft mixed-use development is being designed by Portman in order to achieve the primary goal of bringing research and commercialisation together.The development will have 620,000 sq ft of office space, half of which will be occupied by Georgia Tech, and nearly 40,000 sq ft of retail space, including the adaptive reuse of Crum & Forster building, which will become a local gathering place and outdoor living room for Tech Square and Midtown Atlanta.The development will also include an approximately 80,000 sq ft data centre, which Next Tier HD has been selected to operate.Coda will be programmed around high performance computing modelling, simulation and a sustainable innovation ecosystem, integrating the existing assets of Tech Square with new opportunities in interdisciplinary research, commercialisation and sustainability.The project is expected to create 2,100 construction jobs and 2,400 jobs onsite after completion. Portman Holdings’ CEO Ambrish Baisiwala said: "We're excited to develop Coda, encompassing collaborative office space, co-working and research facilities, a high performance computing centre and interactive community space, collectively enhancing the innovation ecosystem created by Georgia Tech and Midtown."
Work has begun on SUNY Polytechnic Institute's new computer chip production facility for Ams AG at the Marcy Nanocenter in Utica, New York.Marcy Nanocenter has been designed to replicate the success of SUNY Poly's Nanotech Megaplex in Albany. The new facility is being built close to a campus of SUNY Polytechnic Institute in New York's Tech Valley. The initial private investment in the project is $2bn.The factory, which is being built to Ams's specifications, is initially expected to offer a capacity of at least 150,000 200mm-wafer equivalents per year, and will be able to surpass an operating capacity of 450,000 200mm-wafer equivalents per year with the expansion to follow. Production capacity will supplement Ams' existing production operations at its headquarters near Graz, Austria. The groundbreaking marks a major milestone in the governor's Nano Utica initiative, which is now projected to create at least 4,000 jobs over the next decade, and includes research and development at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (QUAD C) in partnership with General Electric.Ams CEO Alexander Everke said: "Building this new wafer fab enables Ams to achieve its plans for growth and to meet the increasing demand for sensor solutions produced at advanced manufacturing nodes."Our decision to locate the facility in New York was motivated by the availability of a highly skilled workforce, the proximity to prestigious educational and research institutions, and the favorable business environment, backed by public and private partners.”The plant is scheduled to become operational in the first half of 2018 and Ams will operate the facility under a 20-year lease.
Pirelli is set to expand its presence in Mexico by investing $200m in a new tyre factory.
Long Beach city, in California, has secured funding for its $513m Civic Center P3 project.The project involves the creation of a new civic centre designed with a high seismic resiliency, an 11-storey, 270,000 sq ft city hall, an 11-storey, 237,000 sq ft port headquarters building, a two-storey 92,000 sq ft main library, a 73,000 sq ft civic plaza, and new underground parking with 469 spaces.It features a central utility plant and a three rooftop solar array system to meet 25% of energy needs of the civic centre, and a 4.9-acre revamped city park. Furthermore, plans are on for a future project featuring up to 580 homes, a retail space and up to 200 hotel rooms.Long Beach’s mayor Robert Garcia said: "We are excited to see this deal move forward and to meet the goals set by the city three years ago when it embarked on the Civic Center P3 procurement."I'd like to congratulate and thank our city council, city staff, our partners, and the Plenary led consortium that helped us to reach this important milestone."The Plenary-led consortium includes co-developer Edgemoor Infrastructure and Real Estate, Johnston Controls, Clark Construction, and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. The city's advisors include p3point, Arup, HOK, BAE Urban Economics, MBI, Sheppard Mullins, KNN and Kutak Rock.
Temple University in Philadephia has broken ground on a $170m library, the most expensive project undertaken by the university to date.The library has been designed by Snøhetta, but it is being built in collaboration with Stantec. Originally planned to be built on Broad Street, the building is now being constructed at the centre of Temple's campus, between Polett Walk and 13th Street. This 225,000sq ft library will be one of the few libraries in the world that uses the automatic search and retrieval system (ASRS), which will store 90% of the 2m books held by the university. The library is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018.
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (RioCan), along with Embassy BOSA, has broken ground on the $500m Fifth and Third East Village project in Calgary.The 2.8-acre project site is located in the East Village area of downtown Calgary, Alberta. The mixed-use project, formerly known as CPA Lands, will include approximately 188,000 sq ft of retail space.Central to the project will be an 82,000 sq ft Loblaws City Market that will service the East Village, Bridgeland and Inglewood. Two residential towers will rise 20 floors above it, totalling 500 condos. Other tenants will include Shoppers Drug Mart and Olympia Liquor store.RioCan will own 100% of the retail portion of the site and has entered into a firm sale with the developer Embassy BOSA for the air rights above the commercial component of this development site.Embassy BOSA will be responsible developing the residential portion and will also fund their proportionate share of the infrastructure costs on a cost-to-complete basis. It had already paid the first instalment in the first quarter of 2016.Construction work on the project is anticipated to be completed in 2019.
ProMedica Toledo Hospital has broken ground on the new $300m project at Toledo, Ohio.The new building, known as Generations Tower, will replace the 86-year-old Legacy Tower on North Cove Boulevard. The 615,000 sq ft tower will house 320 patient rooms.The project design has integrated environmentally-friendly building principles, such as glass curtain walls to increase natural light, energy-conserving mechanical, electrical and plumping systems, and long-lasting terracotta masonry panels.Construction work is expected to continue through the autumn of 2017. Work will continue for two more years to install mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, build parking lots and provide finishing touches to the tower. The tower is expected open to patients by the end of 2019, and will create more than 1,000 construction jobs in the region.
Tyson Foods has sought approval from the Finance Committee of the Carroll County Quorum Court to build a new $136m processing facility near its existing poultry plant in Green Forest, Arkansas.The project is subject to sanction of certain tax abatements from the Carroll County Quorum Court, and sales and use tax credits from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC).The Green Forest plant produces a variety of partially cooked chicken products for food service and retail customers. The new processing facility will increase capacity, and improve efficiency by reducing transportation of products to other locations for further processing.The 200,000 sq ft facility will be built across the street from the existing plant, with the two facilities connected by a corridor. Improvements will include new equipment and production lines, as well as processes and technology that will benefit food safety, quality and workplace safety.Construction is slated to start as early as summer of 2016 and the project should be completed in late 2017. When fully operational, the new processing plant will create about 85 jobs.Tyson Foods president of poultry Noel White said: "This project would allow us to better serve our foodservice customers through improved product mix and greater efficiencies."This is the first new plant construction project Tyson Foods has proposed to build in a number of years and we're hopeful we can partner with Carroll County and the AEDC to invest in our home state."
The CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California has revealed details of the first phase of a $200m multi-year expansion plan.Phase I will be anchored by a new emergency department (ED), as the hospital has decided to build a completely new ED rather than renovating the existing one.The new ED will include an expansion from the current 20 beds to 26 and a more than doubling in size of the department's physical space to 26,000 sq ft, which is 11,000 sq ft at present.Phase I will also include a new 650-spot parking structure for patients, employees and visitors and a comprehensive beautification of the hospital campus. The kitchen and dietary department, which serves patients, visitors and employees, will be relocated and rebuilt as well.The ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled to take place in November 2016 and Phase I is expected to be completed by November 2017. Work on the new emergency department is slated to commence immediately with a projected completion date of autumn 2019. CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CEO Jerry Clute said: "The upgraded facilities will provide the environment and easy access to care that the community deserves while furnishing our medical staff and other clinicians with the tools they need to deliver top-notch medical care."
Faraday Future, a US-based electric car maker, has broken ground on $1bn manufacturing plant in Nevada.The company said that it will build its flagship production vehicle at the new facility located 25 miles north of the Las Vegas Strip.The environmentally-friendly plant will be powered by solar, wind, and geo-thermal energy. Construction work on the project will commence in less than a month’s time. The project is expected to create 4,500 jobs in the region.Faraday Future global vice president of manufacturing Dag Reckhorn said: “This first plant will be a truly modern workspace, offering a clean, open air environment, ergonomic arrangements, and an encouraged interactivity between employees and visitors. This will make for a brand new, cutting-edge west coast hub for the EV industry.”
Skanska has won a contract from Westchester Medical Center to construct a new ambulatory care pavilion on the existing hospital campus in New York.The contract is valued at about SEK1.2bn ($140m). It will be included in order bookings for Skanska USA Building in the first quarter of 2016.Under the contract, Skanska will construct a 26,000 sq m, eight-storey pavilion. It will feature a new ambulatory operating room suite, an imaging centre, a lobby, physician office space, entry canopy for patient drop-off, and new roof-top mechanical, electrical and plumbing units.Skanska is also responsible for the construction of the interior spaces and the expansion of the existing parking lot.Construction work on the project is scheduled to start in June 2016 and is expected to be completed in September 2018.
Alabama Senate has passed Governor Robert Bentley's $800m bill to construct four prisons in the state.At present, Alabama prisons have about 24,000 inmates in facilities originally designed for about 13,000. The bill calls for closing 13 of the 15 men's prisons and Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. The state would build three new men's prisons accommodating 4,000 inmates each, and a new one for women with 1,200 beds. Replacing the old prisons will add about 3,000 beds.The state will borrow the money for construction.Governor Robert Bentley said: "I commend the Senate for taking a bold and decisive step toward prioritizing public safety in our prison system with the construction of four new prisons."The passage of this bill will help reduce overcrowding and will provide safer conditions for corrections officers as well as inmates within the facilities."New facilities will also create greater opportunities to reduce the risk of recidivism."
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is set to break ground on First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton, Massachusetts, with an estimated cost of $1bn.The project will cover around 151 acres within an industrial park at 61R Stevens Street.The 150,000 sq ft casino will feature 3,000 slot machines, 150 gaming tables and 40 poker tables; food court, international buffet, two fine dining restaurants, center bar with lounge and stage, and a 24-hour café; 10 retail stores; 300-room luxury hotel with spa, large pool, roof terrace, and six event/meeting spaces; 300-room mid-range hotel with its own 200-seat 24-hour restaurant and 15,000 sq ft event centre; 300-room family 'water park' hotel with a 25,000 sq ft indoor/outdoor water park and an additional 500 surface parking spaces and 3,980 parking spaces in a parking garage.Construction will take place in four phases. The first phase of construction is slated to be completed by summer of 2017. The hotels, parking garage and water park will be built out through 2022.Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's destination resort casino will create 1,000 union construction jobs during the building phases. The project will eventually bring over 2,500 permanent jobs to Taunton. Additionally, the resort casino will provide an estimated $120m in economic benefits to Taunton through payroll and opportunity for local business.The First Light Resort & Casino project is being backed by Malaysia-based casino operator Genting Group.
Ford Motor Company is investing $1.6bn in a new plant in Mexico's San Luis Potosi State in a bid to increase production of small cars.
Mayo Clinic is set to invest $100m in major construction projects at its Florida campus in 2016.Mayo Clinic will start constructing a destination medical building in mid-2016. The facility will provide integrated services needed for complex cancer, as well as neurologic and neurosurgical care.Initially, the building will have four floors, covering an area of 150,000 sq ft, with the potential for 11 more levels. Two floors will be devoted exclusively to haematology and oncology care, one floor for neurology and neurosurgery, a chemotherapy area, and spaces for training residents and fellows.Once opened, the building is expected to serve more than 126,000 patients in the first year alone. The staff strength of the haematology and oncology department will increase by 50%. The project will also enable the hiring of 12 new neurologists and neurosurgeons.Mayo Clinic has said that another construction project slated to commence this year on its Florida campus is a positron emission tomography (PET) radiochemistry facility.