The University of South Florida Polytechnic has commissioned Santiago Calatrava to design the first structure for its new campus in Lakeland, Fla.—a 100,000-square-foot science and technology building—and to update the campus master plan. Calatrava’s firm, Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente, will design the building in collaboration with Alfonso Architects, a firm based in Tampa, Fla.
With an estimated price tag of $46.5 million, this will be Calatrava’s first higher education building in the United States. Groundbreaking is expected later this year, with a scheduled opening date of late summer 2012. When completed, the building will serve as the centerpiece of the new campus and establish the design scheme for all buildings within the first phase of the campus plan. Total architectural and engineering fees will be approximately $6 million.