While construction of the new University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine and the USF Health Heart Institute is expected to start this August, there's now a better idea of what the final product should look like.
USF unveiled preliminary renderings of the nearly $153 million facility Tuesday.
Skanska/HOK is the design/build team working on the structure, which will be one of the cornerstones of the $3 billion real estate development in downtown Tampa focusing on the Channelside area surrounding the Amalie Arena.
The development of 53 acres into a multi-use waterfront district is the work of Strategic Property Partners, a collaboration of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment, LLC.
“The University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute will be an anchor for SPP’s project and for the larger downtown community. The school’s impact will extend beyond its physical presence and be felt throughout the urban core, bringing energy to the area with its students, researchers, and professors,” Vinik said. "I am delighted that USF is one step closer to seeing this project come to fruition."
The building will be located at South Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive on an acre of land donated by Vinik to USF.
USF Health officials estimate it will house about 2,275 faculty, staff and students when it opens in late 2019. In addition to classrooms and laboratories, it will include conference spaces, an auditorium, faculty offices and a clinical research and 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,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said. “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. We are excited about seeing the construction of this fantastic facility over the next two years, as well as its lasting impact on the Tampa Bay economy.”
The downtown Tampa location will put medical school students closer to Tampa General Hospital, USF Health's primary teaching hospital, as well as the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS).
USF has received almost $79 million in state funding for the project, and is seeking another $33 million from the state.
"We believe that the state money will definitely be there - it's how it's allocated (by lawmakers) that will be very important," Genshaft told WUSF earlier this year. "If bonding occurs, then we may be able to receive the full amount that we're seeking. ...If bonding does not occur in the House and Senate, then it would probably be about half of that and take two years."
