Santiago Calatrava will design the 100,000 net square feet USFP Science & Technology building, which will sit on the northernmost corner of the campus.
The Science & Technology building will be the cornerstone of the new campus, and will establish the design scheme for all buildings within phase I of the campus master plan.
Calatrava is best known for his celebrated designs of bridges, transportation centers and cultural institutes throughout the world. The USF Polytechnic facility will be his first design in southeastern US.
When complete, the new campus will offer the space and resources the university needs to expand from its current 4,229 student body to 16,000 students.
Following a series of public meetings and presentations to the USFP Campus Architect Selection Committee, as well as an extensive due diligence process, Calatrava was selected in November 2008 to design the first building on the new USF Polytechnic campus.
With the contractual process now complete, the Calatrava team will begin work on conceptual designs for the Science & Technology building, which is projected to cost $45 million and will use a combination of public and private funding.
Calatrava was commissioned to design the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub for Lower Manhattan in late 2003 and has numerous projects in progress worldwide. His firm will operate in partnership with Tampa-based architectural firm Alfonso Architects on the project.
USF Polytechnic, designated Florida’s only polytechnic in 2008, focuses on hands-on learning that cultivates skills in the applied arts and sciences, business and education.
Groundbreaking is expected by late 2009, with a scheduled opening in late 2012.
