Santiago Calatrava to Design Cornerstone for University of South Florida Polytechnic's New Campus

LAKELAND, Fla. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - The University of South Florida Polytechnic (USFP) has commissioned the acclaimed architectural firm Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente Services (FL), Inc. to design the first building for the school's new campus in Lakeland, Fla., and update the campus master plan, University of South Florida President Dr. Judy Genshaft announced today.

Santiago Calatrava will design the 100,000 net square foot USFP Science & Technology building, which will sit on the northernmost corner of the campus at the intersection of Interstate 4 (I-4) and the Polk Parkway. 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. Groundbreaking is expected late this year, with a scheduled opening in late summer 2012.

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 the southeastern U.S.