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Higher Educatiom/Specialty: Fla. Polytechnic University Innovation Science and Technology Building

By Nadine M. Post

Green Project: Energy Innovation Laboratory — A pair of wings covering a 250-ft-long skylight consist of operable louvers that automatically adjust individually to track the sun, shading the interior and controlling heat gain. The kinetic system topped the project's long list of construction challenges because the louvers influenced each stage of construction, from foundations to final painting.

Photo courtesy of McGrath

In a letter to Chuck Jablon, Skanska's vice president of operations and the project's leader, Calatrava noted the project's design, schedule and cost challenges, commenting, "In my opinion, [the results] solidified your construction team as one of the preeminent builders in the nation."

Judges were also impressed by the execution of the project—on time and on budget. "I think the complexity of the execution, the erection, obviously, it came off very, very well," said one. "Whenever you can say you made Calatrava's design, that's a job well done."

Submitted by Skanska USA Building Inc. and MG McGrath

Owner Florida Polytechnic University

Design Architect Santiago Calatrava/Festina Lente LLC

Architect of Record Alfonso Architects

General Contractor Skanska USA Building Inc.

Engineers Thornton Tomasetti; Anderson Lane; TLC Engineering for Architecture

Specialty Contractors MG McGrath; Baker Concrete Construction; Atlantic Industrial Technologies

Owner's Representative Lighthouse Advisors Inc.

Nadine M. Post, ENR's former editor-at-large for buildings, is an award-winning journalist with 45 years of experience covering trends, issues, innovations, controversies and challenging projects. Post has written about many industry giants, including 10 ENR Award of Excellence winners. And she has covered disasters, failures and attacks, including the 1993 bombing and the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Project stories include the redevelopment of the World Trade Center; the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa; Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall; and Seattle's Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower. In 1985, Post wrote McGraw-Hill's book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for the restoration’s architects—Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.

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