USF Poly Chooses Architect

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

LAKELAND| The University of  South Florida Polytechnic has commissioned an architectural firm headed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava to design the first buildign for its new Lakeland campus and to update the campus plan, The Ledger learned late Monday.

Negotiations have ben ongoing throughout the year with the internationally known designer of bridges, civic buildings and other landmarks worldwide. USF Poly officials said in late 208 that Calatrava, 57, was their top choice for a campus that Marshall Goodman, vice president in charge of USF Poly, envisions as a catalyst for the growth of Central Florida.

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft and Goodman are holding a press conference at 10 a.m. today on teh existing USF Poly campus in south Lakeland to announce more details of that alliance.

The new USF Poly campus, now expected to open its first building in late sumemr 2012, will be at Interstate 4 and the Polk Parkway.

Calatrava will start working on conceptual designs for a $46.5 million, 100,000-squarefoot science and technology building. A combination of public and private funding will be used. That building will be the cornerstone of the campus and will establish the design scheme for all buildings within the first phase of the master plan, USF Poly officials said.

The USF Poly facility will be Calatrava’s first design in the southeastern United States, said David Steele, director of University Advancement.

The commission officially is with Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente Services (FL) Inc.

The university said total architectural and engineering fees will be just less than $6 million – 12.8 percent of the $46.5 million construction cost.

The estimated overall cost of getting the university established is $62 million. That includes planning, design, infrastructure and construction. A ground-breaking ceremony is planned for later this year.

“By developing a world-class educational facility in the midst of a growing technology corridor…we are in fact transforming the future of Lakeland, Polk County and Central Florida,” Godoman said in a release explaining why he wanted a “starchitect,” his word for an architect with a worldwide reputation.

Goodman doesn’t want a building that looks interchangeable with, or similar to, those at other state universities. He wants the new USF Poly campus to be a symbol of technology.

College officials compare the impact of having Calatrava’s work showcased at USF Poly to the significance of having famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright begin his design of 10 structures at Florida Southern College almost 70 years ago.

Calatrava also will be working on a redesign of the campus master plan previously approved.

USF Poly’s Campus Board voted in March to put the science and technology building on the northwest corner of the 171.5-acre tract instead of the south-central part of the land.

Several architects who were interested in helping design the campus suggested locating the first building to the north. The new location will give it a much greater visual impact, board members said.

“In polytechnic, we have a unique model of education and with Calatrava will have a unique symbol that represents that spirit,” Goodman said.

The new campus ultimately will let USF Poly expand from its current 4, 229 students to 16,000 students. The 2009-10 Florida budget gives USF Poly $11.4 million as the second installment in a three-year funding plan to establish its new campus. The $11.4 million adds to $15 million legislators earmarked for the campus in 2008. Supporters hope in the 2010 session to get a final $15 million toward construction.

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