The University of South Florida Polytechnic has commissioned the acclaimed architectural firm Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente Services to design the first building for the school’s new campus in Lakeland, and update the campus master plan, the school announced in June.

Santiago Calatrava will design the 100,000-sq-ft USFP Science and Technology building, which will sit at the intersection of Interstate 4 and the Polk Parkway. The Science and Technology building will be the cornerstone of the new campus, and will establish the design scheme for all buildings within phase one of the campus master plan. Groundbreaking is expected late this year, with a scheduled opening in late summer 2012.

The USF Polytechnic facility, which will be Calatrava’s first design in the Southeast, is projected to cost $45 million.

Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente will operate in partnership with Tampa-based architectural firm Alfonso Architects.