HOK & Skanska are the design/build team for medical school and research institute for University of South Florida

University of South Florida recently released details about the design for a high-rise tower that will combine USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in one building as a downtown Tampa campus. Skanska/HOK is the design/build team for the new USF facility.

The 320,000-sq.-ft. facility, scheduled to open in 2019, will accommodate an estimated 2,275 faculty, staff and students. HOK’s design for the building incorporates angles and facets that provide a unique prismatic form and features an abundance of windows that visually connect the interior public spaces and informal learning areas to the plaza and sidewalk. The building includes a variety of learning and conference spaces, an auditorium, laboratories, faculty offices, and a clinical trials research and cardiac care unit.

“These early renderings are another powerful sign of how significant the University of South Florida’s growing presence in downtown Tampa is today,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “Co-locating our medical school and heart institute in the vibrant urban area of Tampa will attract more top-tier students and cardiovascular researchers, and energize our intent to bring more biotechnology, biomedical and pharmaceutical firms to this region.”

The USF Health building will serve as a key anchor of a 53-acre multi-use development designed to create a walkable and sustainable environment for downtown Tampa residents, workers, students and visitors.