LONDON-Benchmark is to demonstrate its confidence in the troubled West End office market with two speculative starts in the coming months. Schemes in Golden Square, Soho and Savile Row, Mayfair, will provide almost 100,000 sf of new space.

HAWTHORNE, CA-A Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse will be the first

DALLAS-Hillier of Dallas beats five firms vying to partner with the Office of Metropolitan Architecture on the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. The 1,300-seat project is being funded by $210 million in private donations plus a city contribution.

BASTROP, TX-The Dallas-based Woodbine Development team is keeping to the schedule as work proceeds on pre-development design, a marketing study and permitting for the 635-acre project.