Beck Completes Sciences Building, Residential Facility at Baylor

Dallas-based Beck Group recently completed the Baylor Sciences building at Baylor University in Waco. Designed by HarleyEllis of Southfield, Mich., the new four-story 500,000-sq.-ft. facility includes classrooms, laboratories, research centers, student interaction areas and faculty offices.

The new facility is the largest academic center on campus. Its three research wings will house the life-sciences department, physical-sciences department and five multidisciplinary research/education centers.

Beck also completed the 212,000-sq.-ft. North Village Residential Community designed by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Co. of Norfolk, Va. The facility is the first residence to be constructed on campus since 1967.

Behr Establishes First Texas Manufacturing Facility At AllianceTexas

Fort Worth-based Hillwood recently announced that it sold 22.5 acres in the Roanoke section of its AllianceTexas development to Behr Process Corp. of Santa Ana, Calif., a leading manufacturer of paints and stains.

Behr adds to the growing list of companies with facilities at AllianceTexas that are listed on the Fortune 500, the Global 500 or Forbes' list of Top Private Companies.

Behr will build a 400,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant and distribution center scheduled to be operational by summer 2005. The company will employ 125 workers at the new facility, which is rail served and has received incentives from the city of Roanoke and Denton County.

The 15,000-acre AllianceTexas development houses more than 125 companies that have built 23.7 million sq. ft. and created 20,000 jobs.

Del Monte Foods Selects Duke Realty To Construct Fort Worth Hub

Duke Realty Corp. of Indianapolis has been selected to construct a 688,000-sq.-ft. custom-designed distribution hub for Del Monte Foods.

"This is a very large and significant project and Duke is delighted to have won the confidence of Del Monte," said Jeff Turner, senior vice president of Duke's Dallas operations. "This project is another example of Duke's strength in the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth commercial real estate market and further showcases our general contracting capabilities."

In March Duke completed construction on a warehouse/distribution center for The Container Store. The 1.1-million-sq.-ft. space is located at Duke's Freeport North Industrial Park in Coppell.

The Del Monte site at Railhead Business Park is served by the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail lines.

Plano ISD Awards Cadence McShane School Projects

The Austin office of The Beck Group recently announced that the Stark Foundation has awarded pre-construction and construction services to Beck for the Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Orange. The construction schedule, which will begin in February, is approximately 18 months for the $15 million project.

Shangri La is a unique ecosystem possessing not only wetlands, but a mixed deciduous forest, cypress tupelo swamp and a large lake that attracts ducks and migratory birds.

"We will have the opportunity to do many great things on this project that will continue to boost our LEED experience," said Kathy Zarsky, Beck's project manager. "This is a very site-sensitive project due to the wetland environments and wildlife habitat it currently maintains. We will be using 'light' construction practices and will also get to explore the use of photovoltaic systems and renewable energy sources."

The gardens first opened to the public in 1946. After the 250-acre private reserve was heavily damaged by a hard freeze in the mid-1950s, it was closed to the public and maintained on a limited scale.

The project design team includes Mesa Design Group of Dallas, Lake Flato Architects Inc. of San Antonio and Jeffrey Carbo ASLA of Alexandria, La.

Hunt Construction Group Awarded City of Cedar Hill Bond Program

Hunt Construction Group's South Regional Office in Dallas has been awarded program management services for the $27.1 million city of Cedar Hill Bond Program. The Program includes a new Municipal Government Center, new Public Safety Facility, addition to the Library, and renovations to their existing facilities. Hunt Construction Group will assist with architectural selections, which will begin in May 2004. Construction of the first facility will begin in early 2005, with completion of all work anticipated by the end of 2007.

Hunt Construction Group and Bovis Lend Lease Form Alliance

The Plano Independent School District awarded Cadence McShane the construction assignment for two new elementary schools. Cadence McShane is scheduled to complete the $17 million construction project in June.

Each school will be approximately 76,000 sq. ft. configured in a single-story arrangement that includes 45 classrooms, gymnasium, cafeteria and library. Cadence McShane will also construct a music room, special education suite, counselors' suite, administration areas and a full-day kindergarten area within each school.

The schools will mirror the same architectural design with the exception of the exterior color scheme that will be utilized on the masonry and block exterior and roof.