TAMPA, Fla.—International construction and development firm Skanska, based in Sweden, has partnered with acclaimed architecture firm Gensler on the expansion of the University of South Florida’s Research Park, a mixed-use laboratory and office building facility.

The $27 million, three-story development encompasses 120,000 square feet of office and laboratory space in USF’s life sciences building. The interior now offers collaborative learning and experimentation areas, office space, as well as a ground-level dining commons and rooftop deck three floors above.

The Research Park at USF is meant to fashion an environment wherein innovation in an academic setting will go hand in hand with economic growth in the greater Tampa Bay area. As designed by Gensler, the Research Park will act as a welcoming space where scientists and project designers can collaborate at a state-of-the-art facility designed to stoke experimentation and discovery.

Thanks to this renovation, the Research Park’s capacity has increased by approximately 30 percent. Among other disciplines, the Research Park will focus on both tech and life sciences throughout the South Florida region.

“Given our trajectory working with the University of South Florida, our team is proud to deliver another state-of-the-art facility that will allow the university to continue to make meaningful investments in advancing life sciences and biotechnology,” Michael C. Brown, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska USA’s building operations in Florida, said of the expansion. “The completion of USF’s mixed-use lab and office project comes at a perfect time as Tampa continues to see significant business and population growth. The Research Park is an important driver to stimulate long-term innovation and economic growth in the region.”

In a subsequent statement to School Construction News, Brown added that the demand for space for life sciences experimentation and study is at an all-time high across the academic sector.

“Building on an active campus site comes with its own set of challenges which requires lots of communication amongst key partners,” Brown said of the difficulties of completing the project in a timely manner.  “Not to mention the current supply chain shortages, so it was crucial to deliver this project on time given current market needs, and with the University’s schedule. Additionally, to remain competitive as technology evolves, the project was also built with flexibility and sustainability in mind.”

In addition to the Research Park, Skanska’s previous work at USF entails the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa, completed in early 2020.  The company continues to work in the education sector throughout the Sunshine State, including the University of Miami’s Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science.  The firm has been in business for nearly 140 years and is one of the world’s largest development and construction companies.

Their U.S. headquarters are in New York, with 30 offices across America.  The firm employs over 7,300 people, and saw 2021 revenue of $6.4 billion.

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TAMPA, Fla.—Construction and development firm Skanska has announced the completion of the $189 million University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute. The college is now open at the Water Street mixed-use development in downtown Tampa, which is expected to become one of the most vibrant urban environments in America and the world’s first wellness district.

The 395,000-square-foot, academic building is bringing 1,800 students, faculty and researchers to the heart of downtown Tampa and is set to transform health education by focusing on more hands-on, technology-enabled learning. Standing 13 floors high, the innovative building features a 400-seat auditorium, clinical teaching labs and research laboratories, office space and a wellness center. The school teamed up with Microsoft to create the first-ever Medical School of Innovation, placing USF among the most innovative higher education institutions for integrating technology into medical education.

In December 2014, initial approval was granted to relocate and rebuild the medical college, bringing it within a mile of its primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital. In collaboration with design firm HOK, Skanska began construction work in August 2017 and the project was delivered this January 2020.

Situated within the mixed-use Water Street development, faculty and staff will be able to live, work and study along the downtown Tampa waterfront and provide healthcare services to people in need through USF’s community outreach initiatives.

In Tampa, Skanska has also completed the $122 million renovation and expansion of the Tampa International Airport’s main passenger terminal in 2019 and the $35.6 million renovation and expansion of the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in 2018. Nearby in St. Petersburg, Skanska delivered the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Research and Education Building in 2018 and is currently reconstructing the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier and Pier Approach.

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TAMPA, Fla.—Skanska, a global construction and development firm, has announced it will construct a new mixed-use lab and office project for the University of South Florida’s (USF) Research Park. Skanska’s $27 million contract includes the design and construction of the laboratory and office building that will be located on USF’s campus in Tampa. The total cost of the project is $42 million.

The three-story life sciences building will house 120,000 square feet of office and lab space within USF’s Research Park, complete with ground-floor retail and dining options. Designed by architecture firm Gensler, the expansion of the research park will strengthen the university’s life sciences and technology ecosystem. Upon the project’s completion estimated for fall 2021, the capacity of the research park will be expanded by more than 30 percent.

“With this investment into biotechnology and life sciences research, USF will further stimulate our regional economy in the Tampa Bay region,” said Michael C. Brown, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s Florida building operations. “We look forward to delivering a project that will help the university to promote innovation, entrepreneurism and the discovery of new technologies that will have a positive impact on our community.”

Skanska is currently nearing completion of USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, which is bringing the university’s medical education programs to the heart of downtown Tampa. Additionally, Skanska built two buildings totaling more than 230,000 square feet of laboratory and office space that opened at the original research park in 2005.

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TAMPA, Fla. — Construction on the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa is currently underway. The groundbreaking took place on Sept. 20, and the building is projected for completion by fall 2019.

HOK, with offices in Tampa, is the design architect and planner of the medical education and research program. The local office of Skanska is the design-builder of the project. The current construction budget for the 13-story, 394,000-square-foot building is $156 million.

The Morsani College of Medicine will create a new downtown Tampa campus for the University of South Florida and establish the school’s presence on the city’s skyline, according to Tom Thomas, senior vice president at HOK. “The building will serve as an anchor for a new 53-acre, multi-use development to create a more walkable and sustainable environment for downtown residents, workers, students and visitors,” said Thomas.

The Morsani College of Medicine will be located close to Tampa General Hospital — USF’s primary teaching hospital.To attract top-tier students and cardiovascular researchers, the university challenged the design team to create a signature, urban facility for its new medical school and heart institute, according to Thomas. Subtle, faceted gestures make up the facade and reveal specific moments of public gathering space such as the main lobby, cafeteria, library and pre-function areas. Atria spaces give volumetric relief along the western and southern edges while enhancing internal connectivity and providing direct, unobstructed views to the plaza and surrounding Tampa Bay.

“A rigorous design process resulted in the creation of a prismatic element both in form and effect,” said Thomas. “Much like a prism refracts light, the building form refracts from the ground to the sky to accommodate and express a diverse mixture of programmatic elements.”

The facility will offer an advanced educational environment to prepare doctors that includes a 400-seat flexible auditorium, classrooms of various sizes, casual and group study spaces and an experiential learning lab that provides multiple stations for interactive, interdisciplinary training.

Establishing a truly collaborative and interactive academic and research center in a high-rise building presented a challenge, according to Thomas. “Balancing the program functions and technical requirements into a floor plate area of a 13-story building was tested by a number of building schemes and options for making the spaces relate to one another.”

As a way of mitigating the challenge, the large, multi-story atria were created to internally weave together the different programs according to Thomas.

The new building will also house the Heart Institute, which will place cardiovascular researchers and clinicians with the medical students. “By uniting bench scientists and clinical researchers under one roof in the Heart Institute, the facility is designed to help more quickly translate discoveries into practical personalized treatments to improve the lives of those with cardiovascular disease,” said Thomas.

The new USF medical school will be a key anchor for the Water Street Tampa, a significant real estate redevelopment that is establishing a WELL-certified district. As the first building in this community, the USF Morsani College of Medicine is designed to achieve LEED Silver and WELL certification.

“Medical knowledge is expected to double every 73 days by the year 2020, which greatly affects the way we need to train tomorrow’s doctors,” said Charles Lockwood MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine in a statement. “The Florida Blue Knowledge Exchange will become central resource in helping our students learn how to navigate these emerging discoveries to serve their future patients.”

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