Florida Polytechnic University’s Innovation, Science and Technology building has been recognized by the Chicago Athenaeum : Museum of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, as a recipient of the 2015 International Architectural Awards, the world’s most prestigious building award to honor new and cutting-edge designs.
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Florida Polytechnic University was founded in 2012 and marked its formal opening with the beginning of its first school year in the fall of 2014. The university’s Innovation, Science and Technology Building is the architectural icon of its new 171-acre campus, designed by world-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, and built by Skanska as part of a collaborative team of numerous design and construction partners.
MG McGrath furnished and installed the building’s 84 pergola frames, each comprising of 104 rods and measuring 39’ in height by 50’ in length, which visually enclose the terraces that encircle the building. MG McGrath also played a key role in creating the 94 individual hydraulic cylinder arms, made of aluminum and engineered to automatically travel individually from 65˚ above the horizontal plane at their maximum upright position, to 48˚ below the horizontal plane when resting in their fully lowered position. These operable louvers provide a sense of what is possible when using STEM to build projects consisting of movable parts, functioning to control solar heat gain, regulate light levels, and, eventually, generate electricity for the campus. Symbolically, they create a strong identity for the new school, the first and only in the state of Florida to dedicate itself to the study science, technology, engineering and math. MG McGrath Architectural Glass and Glazing fabricated and installed a custom-shaped elliptical single-sloped cupola skylight on the interior of the building, with two single-slope stairwell skylights on both ends of the cupola.
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About MG McGrath
MG McGrath is an award-winning leader in the architectural surfaces industry, featuring the latest equipment, tools, technology, and a 100,000 square foot custom manufacturing facility to provide unprecedented creative solutions in architectural sheet metal fabrication and installation on commercial and industrial projects. These projects include, but are not limited to: Metal Roofing, Plate and Composite Panel Systems from various metal types including Aluminum, Titanium, Zinc, Acrylic, Stainless Steel and Copper Work, HPL Rain Screen Panel Systems, Terra Cotta as well as numerous other Custom Architectural Panel Systems.
About MG McGrath Architectural Glass and Glazing
MG McGrath Architectural Glass and Glazing has grown from a local glass shop, servicing retail and specialty clients, into an award-winning national glass and glazing contractor and leader in the industry, with proven knowledge and expertise in glass and glazing exterior facades, storefronts, skylights, and interiors. MG McGrath Architectural Glass and Glazing features the latest equipment, tools, technology, and a 100,000 square foot custom manufacturing facility to provide customers with master craftsmanship, dedication, and extraordinary products and systems to meet the ever changing and evolving needs of the architectural and building community.