Mid-Atlantic Region Activity Heats Up With Major Initiatives Underway

From Richmond to Philadelphia, real estate development, design and construction is in progress all over the region.

$72 Million Restoration Of Virginia State Capitol Commences

RICHMOND,VA - Design team Hillier/BCWH and construction manager Gilbane Building Company in association with The Christman Company are getting ready for the construction phase of the historic restoration of the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond . The $71.9 million project includes the renovation and restoration of the Capitol building, as well as construction of a new underground addition and new utility
loop. Construction is expected to start in April , with completion by November 2006.

Forest City Awarded Southeast Federal Center Redevelopment

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Forest City Washington, Inc. was recently selected by the U.S.
General Services Administration to redevelop the Southeast Federal Center (SEFC) in Washington, D.C. Forest City's plans for the adaptive reuse of the 44-acre site include up to 1.8 million sq. ft. of office space, 2,800 residential units, destination and neighborhood serving retail and a 5.5-acre park along the Anacostia River. A separate, 11-acre portion of the site is presently under development as a new headquarters complex for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Forest City's portion of the site is scheduled to be completed in three phases over the next 10 to 20 years.

Free Library of Philadelphia Selects Design Team

PHILADELPHIA - Two Philadelphia firms will be working with Moshe Safdie Associates to design a major addition and renovation of the Free Library's Central
Branch. Kelly/Maiello Architects and Francis Cauffman Foley Hoffmann are team members on the project.The library is expected to take two years for design. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2007 and cost over $100 million. The City of Philadelphia announced recently that it will kick in $30 million of that to the 170,000 sq. ft. renovation and 180,000-sq.-ft.expansion.

Construction Begins on $80 Million Cancer Research Center

BALTIMORE - The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) began construction last fall on an
$80 million cancer research center. Clark/Smoot, a joint venture between the Clark
Construction Group, Inc. of Bethesda, Md. and Smoot Construction of Falls Church, Va., are at work on JHU's East Baltimore medical campus. Known as Cancer Research Building II, the 272,000-sq.-ft. structure will be constructed next to the Blunting-Blaustein Building on the north side of Orleans Street between Broadway and Caroline Street.

HDR Architecture of Alexandria, Va., the architect of record for the new project and the Bunting-Blaustein Building, designed the second facility as a mirror image of the first . Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership of Washington, D.C. is serving as the design consultant .

The facility is a key element in a $1 billion construction campaign that is expected to
t ransform JHU's 52-acre East Baltimore medical campus, creating up to 1,000 new
jobs over the next decade. Funding was procured from public and private sources,
including philanthropy and debt service.

Baltimore's West Side Development Moves Ahead

BALTIMORE- David S. Brown Enterprises and A&R Development Corp. were selected
by the City of Baltimore to develop the 400 block of West Baltimore Street. The proposed development will include a 100,000 sq.ft. Class-A office building and more than 13,000 sq. ft. of street-level retail space. The project is estimated at close to $15 million and completion is expected in mid 2005.

Turner Construction Presents ACE with $500,000 Gift

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The ACE Mentor Program of America, a national organization that mentors high school students in the Architectural , Construction management and Engineering (ACE) industries recently received a $500,000 gift from Turner
Construction Company to facilitate the organization's operation and expansion of this mentoring program .

"ACE is a successful program with a strong track record in helping our industry bridge the workforce development gap," said Edward McNeill, Senior Vice President of Operations for Turner Construction. "Our company has played an active role in ACE since the beginning and we feel industry leaders should support it financially as well."