Skanska USA has been selected to build the University of South Florida (USF) Health’s Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute tower in Tampa’s urban waterfront district, where future physicians will conduct breakthrough research and make discoveries that aim to improve heart health.

The college of medicine will relocate from 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. on the main campus to a new school the university is building in downtown Tampa, as part of a mixed-use project in the city’s urban core.

The vision for the 13-floor academic building totaling approximately 395,000 square feet is to provide a superior teaching and research environment. With this relocation and expansion, USF will bring its medical education programs to the heart of Tampa’s downtown, making it more convenient and accessible to the community. It will provide medical school students closer access to Tampa General Hospital, USF Health's primary teaching hospital, as well as the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation.

Designed by HOK, the new USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine will provide a stimulating and engaging learning experience for its medical students with a 400-person auditorium, a mix of classrooms, study rooms to facilitate hands-on learning, and a series of spaces for informal collaboration and gathering.

"The relocation of the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute will create a long-term economic impact that will be felt throughout Tampa’s downtown,” said Brian Yarborough, project executive for Skanska’s building operations in Tampa. “The new school will grow the urban core’s population with students, researchers, and medical professionals who will study, work and live in the area. In addition, the investment USF is making will help retain and attract talent and businesses in the biotech, medical and pharmaceutical fields to the Tampa Bay region.”

The university’s heart institute will focus on cardiovascular research targeting new methods to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease and risk factors. Unlike traditional academic departments or single-disease focused units, the institute will emphasize biological systems research that would be applicable across areas that contribute to cardiovascular disease.

The USF Health building will be located at South Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive on an acre of land donated by Tampa Bay Lightning team owner, Jeff Vinik, to USF. Construction began in August 2017, and the project is expected to be complete in Fall 2019.

In Tampa, Skanska is also building the $122 million renovation and expansion of the Tampa International Airport’s main passenger terminal and the $35.6 million renovation and expansion of the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Nearby in St. Petersburg, Skanska is building the research and education facility on the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital campus and reconstructing the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier. With a long-term commitment to the Tampa Bay region, Skanska has also built projects such as the $225 million rebuilding and widening of Interstate 275; the Tampa Museum of Art; Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park; and Kiley Gardens.

About Skanska

Skanska USA is one of the largest, most financially sound construction and development companies in the U.S., serving a broad range of clients including those in transportation, power, industrial, water/wastewater, healthcare, education, sports, data centers, government, aviation, and commercial. Headquartered in New York with offices in 31 metro areas, we have more than 10,000 employees committed to being leaders in safety, project execution, sustainability, ethics and people development. In 2016, our work in building construction, civil and power/industrial construction, commercial development and infrastructure development (public-private partnerships) generated $6.8 billion in revenue. Global revenue of parent company Skanska AB, headquartered in Stockholm and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, totaled $17.7 billion in 2016. Skanska shares are publicly traded in the U.S. on the OTC market under the symbol SKBSY through a Level I American Depository Receipt program.