Dallas-based McCarthy recently began work on a design-build renovation and remodeling project on Houston's Rice University campus that will create the new Rice Nanofabrication Facility.

The facility should be ready for occupancy in March. The project encompasses the $1.5 million, 3,000-sq.-ft. of renovation and remodeling of space within the existing Abercrombie Hall on campus.

"McCarthy is offering Rice a unique design solution, producing a nanofabrication and clean-room lab that makes the most of an existing structure while following the necessary requirements for the construction and development of a lab and clean-room facility," said project director Gary Akin.

A clean room is an environment where airborne particulates are controlled through an exchange of filtered air using a high-efficiency particulate-air-filtering system. The massive air-handling systems must constantly filter the air and keep the clean room under positive pressure, preventing any outside contaminants from entering.

Meanwhile, McCarthy broke ground on a $3.5 million, 41,000 sq.-ft. residential complex at the University of North Texas, Denton.

The new "sorority row" will consist of five attached sorority houses, each with 12 double-occupancy bedrooms, one ADA room, a house mother's apartment and a common area for chapter meetings.

BOKA Powell of Dallas provided the architecture and engineering for the project. It is scheduled for occupancy in August.

Latino Cultural Center Opens

Dallas' new Latino Cultural Center, which had been in various planning stages for more than a decade, recently celebrated the grand opening of its $9.7 million, 27,250-sq.-ft. home.

Dallas' Halff Associates Inc., served as the architect of record while world-renowned Mexican architect and AIA gold medal winner Ricardo Legorreta designed the center.
The space features a 300-seat fully equipped theater, a gallery, classrooms, artists' workspaces, office spaces and a plaza.

Phase two plans include a black-box theater, additional gallery spaces, practice rooms and additional classrooms.

T.O. Scherer of T.S. Byrne General Contractors' Dallas office served as the project manager.

Austin Commercial Jobsite Recognized by OSHA

Austin Commercial, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Austin Industries, has been awarded OSHA's STAR status, the highest rating within the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs.

The safety record was achieved for the company's jobsite at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, with about 540 construction workers onsite. The site is one of seven in the United States-and the only in Texas and Region VI-to have received the STAR designation.

As part of the campus expansion, Austin Commercial began construction in November 2001 of a biomedical research center that will add 1 million sq. ft. of facilities, including a 14-story, 550,000-sq.-ft. research tower with a two-level underground parking garage, 38,000-sq.-ft. radiology oncology building and 150,000-sq.-ft. advanced imaging and diagnostics building.

$45 Million in Tuition Revenue Bonds Approved for Texas Tech Construction

A new bill passed by the Texas Legislature during last year's session authorizes Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to issue up to $45 million in tuition revenue bonds for the construction of a classroom/office building.

The structure would be part of a proposed four-year medical school at the university's El Paso campus.

Gov. Rick Perry also announced $2 million in funding to finance start-up costs and faculty salaries for the new school.

"This $2 million investment will ensure that once the new medical school is built, top-notch faculty will fill its halls," Perry said. "And with more students training to become doctors in El Paso, I am confident that this area, with such a great need for medical providers, will attract and keep more doctors."