The 742-room Radisson Hotel at Universal Studios, Orlando, will be completely renovated to the Doubletree hotel brand in a $10 million project by owner MeriStar Hospitality Corp., Arlington, Va. The building's façade, guest rooms, lobby, restaurant, and retail space, and more than 60,000-sf of meeting space will be completely refurbished. VOA Associates Inc., Orlando, will do the architecture, planning, and interior design for the project.
Klewin Building Co., Norwich, Conn., recently broke ground on a fast track, design-build contract to build a Spa Hotel in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The 26-story, 718,000-sf hotel will house 600 rooms, three restaurants, a full service spa, a multipurpose theater, and 35,000 sf of gaming, to be completed in 18 months.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is consolidating its clinical care program into a $33 million tower and research center . Designed by FKP Architects, Houston, the project includes 23,000 sf of renovation and a 142,000-sf addition. Building Team includes: construction manager Lee Lewis Construction, Lubbock, Texas, structural engineer Haynes Whaley Associates Inc., Houston, and mechanical engineer Fanning Fanning & Associates Inc., Celina, Ohio.
The 84,000-sf Ford Motor Co. Engineering Design Center on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., is being engineered to use about 20% less energy than traditional buildings. Architect Davis Brody Bond LLP, New York, designed the facility to supply more than 75% of interior spaces with natural light. An automated solar-tracking system and raised-floor system will provide more precise temperature control. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
