Florida Construction News staff writer
Florida Polytechnic University has unveiled designs for an $87 million Student Achievement Center that will add 138,000 square feet of student-focused space to its Lakeland campus.
Renderings of the three-storey facility were presented to the university’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 24.
The building will feature a curved roofline, glass façade and open interior spaces designed to provide areas for students to study, collaborate and access support services.
The Student Achievement Center will include dedicated study areas, multimedia collaboration spaces, student support services, career and internship development areas, an auditorium, instructional rooms and gathering spaces.
“The foundational idea was to create this building as a cornerstone of the student experience,” said Michel Borg, design principal for HOK. “We wanted to create a facility that honors the original master plan that Santiago Calatrava developed and foster a unique experience for students and visitors coming to campus.”
Calatrava designed Florida Poly’s Innovation, Science and Technology building, which established the architectural identity of the campus.
The Student Achievement Center is being planned as the university works toward an enrollment of 3,000 students by 2030. That would represent a 28 per cent increase over this fall and a 90 per cent increase from Fall 2024.
“The Student Achievement Center represents the next chapter in Florida Poly’s extraordinary growth,” said university president Dr. Devin Stephenson. “This remarkable facility will transform the student experience and become the heartbeat of a thriving campus community.”
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027, with completion anticipated in fall 2028.
