Skanska USA Completes Two K–12 Projects for Florida School District

Construction and development firm Skanska USA recently announced that it has completed two projects for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Fla., according to a news release. The projects include a $47-million campus conversion at Collins PK–8 School and a $12-million upgrade to the athletic complex at Chamberlain High School. The purpose was to address recent demand in the region for K–12 construction to meet growing student populations.

The conversion at Collins PK–8 involved the addition of a 70,000-square-foot classroom building and an additional 30,000 square feet of additions across six other buildings on campus. The facility previously served as an elementary school but will now offer capacity and services for students up to eighth grade. New amenities include 1,400 new student stations, a modernized media center, specialized science classrooms, and group learning spaces, the news release reports.

The campus also features “a multipurpose room with a stage for student performances, and a dedicated music/band room equipped with the latest technology for students to explore their musical abilities. The conversion also includes essential spaces such as teacher offices, an administrative suite, a new gymnasium with locker rooms, and a new football field,” according to the news release.

For the Chamberlain High School athletic complex, upgrades include a new football field and track featuring artificial turf and a rubberized track; new bleachers, fencing, and school sign; interior and exterior gym renovations like flooring resurfacing, window replacement, painting, and an upgraded electrical system. The existing locker rooms were converted into a training room, while the former field house became the new locker rooms.

“We’ve cultivated a longstanding partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools in creating transformative projects throughout the region," said Daniel Abou-Jaoude, vice president and account manager at Skanska USA. “We understand the importance of staying at the forefront of K-12 constructability to ensure we’re prioritizing usability and functionality to meet the evolving needs of educators and students.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.