Two high-profile projects are being celebrated on both sides of Tampa Bay on Jan. 11, 2011.
Groundbreaking takes place on the
University of South Florida's (USF)
Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in Tampa, and the new and improved Dali Museum opens in St. Petersburg.
The Beck Group, a national firm that handles development, planning, architecture and construction projects throughout the United States, is both architect and general contractor for the CAMLS. The 90,000-square-foot building planned for
downtown Tampa will house the first-of-its-kind facility in the nation for medical training in simulated environments.
The facility includes surgical training suites, one of which contains a
da Vinci robot. A virtual hospital, research and innovation lab, offices and a fully equipped interactive auditorium are also part of the project. The facility is expected to open in December 2011.
Beck also built the 66,400-square-foot
Dalí Museum on
St. Petersburg's waterfront. The new building's exterior construction features a geodesic glass design as well as 18-inch-thick concrete walls and slab roof that are expected to withstand hurricane-force winds and flood waters. The museum's interior centerpiece is a three-story, 56-foot high spiral staircase inside a Daliesque space shaped like an egg.
The new Dali and the CAMLS are expected to draw visitors from around the world and help spur additional economic development for the Tampa Bay region.
"Both of these buildings are iconic projects for the Tampa Bay area," says Ben Bard, a Beck Group project manager. "Both offer a global draw in terms of visitors -- healthcare professionals and art lovers. It's awesome to be part of it."
Writer:
Missy KavanaughSource: Mark House, The Beck Group
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