| Biggest tenant to buy former Fruit of the Loom plant
ST. MARTINVILLE, La. -- The modular home factory set up after Hurricane Katrina in an industrial building shuttered for years is now buying the facility, with tax-exempt bonds to finance the deal and a 10-year property tax exemption to help it along. Louisiana System Built Homes occupies 300,000 square feet of the International Trade Center _ a Fruit of the Loom plant when it shut down in 2001, putting 3,000 people out of work. The modular home company's chief executive officer, Aubrey Shoemake, told the St. Martin Economic Development Authority last week that he is buying the 1 million-square-foot building. The board unanimously adopted a resolution sponsoring $10 million in low-interest, tax-exempt bonds to buy and renovate the plant. Shoemake is buying the building from Larry Leger of Carencro, who bought it a year ago from the development firm which had bought it out of bankruptcy.
Fleetwood lands Army barracks contract
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. said Wednesday its fledgling modular homes division has landed a multimillion contract to supply barracks for the U.S. Army. The Riverside-based manufacturer will construct seven apartment buildings totaling 470 units in its Belton, Texas, plant. The barracks will house 940 Army personnel at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. While the work will keep Fleetwood employees busy for seven months, the company plans to bid on upcoming phases of the project as well as similar barracks development around the country, said Kathy Munson, director of investor relations. This is the largest modular contract Fleetwood has ever received. Fleetwood has dabbled in modular construction since 2005, but it hadn't focused on it until this year when the company created Trendsetter Homes, Munson said.
Reach For The Skies
When industrial designer Aidan Quinn wanted a new home, he put his skills and concern about the environment together, and came up with a rather unusual design. Having previously worked on domes, modular buildings and pyramids, and having fitted out boats and mobile homes, the cartoon-rocket-shaped Eco Pod is perhaps not surprising, but, insists Aidan, its not just a gimmick. "I opted for this design because I love the organic shape. But its also easy to manufacture, and its about as energy efficient as you can get. Its easy to heat, and easy to insulate because the roof is the walls too." Launch pad Aidan Quinn outside his Eco Pod Before launching the Pod on the people of the Earth, Quinn decided to test out the structure himself. He has now been living in the four metre squared prototype for around six weeks, which is parked next to his workshops in a field in Stretford,Manchester.
|
