Lakeland, Fla. — Skanska USA completes iconic Innovation, Science & Technology building.
The IST building at Florida Polytechnic.Lakeland, Fla. — Skanska USA’s Innovation, Science & Technology (IST) building at Florida Polytechnic University has opened and is ready to welcome its inaugural class. The campus was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava.
Florida’s newest and 12th state university held a public celebration to commemorate its grand opening and the completion of the IST building. Florida Polytechnic leaders, Governor Rick Scott, and more than 1,000 supporters and new students gathered to experience the state-of-the-art university up close for the first time. Florida Polytechnic was established by state law in 2012. The new campus opened for classes on Aug. 16.
The 162,000-square-foot, white-domed IST building features a distinctive louvered roof system that adjusts with the sun’s angle and is surrounded by a ring of curved metal pergolas that shade its outer terrace and walkways.
It houses classrooms, auditoriums, administrative offices, common areas and a number of cutting-edge laboratories, including a Supercomputer and Student Data Center, a Visualization and Technology Collaboration (VTC) Lab, and a Rapid Application Development (RAD) Makerspace Lab with 3D printing capabilities.
Dedicated exclusively to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Florida Polytechnic’s approach to learning emphasizes real-world problem solving, work experience, applied research and business leadership opportunities through industry partnerships.
Construction of the IST building took 28 months and was completed by Skanska on time, on budget, and with zero lost-time accidents, according to the company.