Sarasota Technical Insitute Completes Phase Two

Sarasota
Photo Credit:  Chris Casler / courtesy of SchenkelShultz

SARASOTA, Fla. — The second phase of the three-phase Saratosa County Technical Institute project was recently completed, wth the third phase currently under way.
 
The $31.8 million, nearly 200,000-square-foot facility on a 52-acre site, designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture based in Fort Wayne, Ind., replaces an “antiquated facility” and features energy-efficient designs, according to firm officials.
 
The new technical center blends polytechnical and technical education with the neighboring $16.5 million, 73,370-square-foot Suncoast Polytechnical High School, a partnership that features technical education on one campus, offering high school juniors and seniors an opportunity for “hands-on learning before setting out into the real world,” according to firm officials.
 
Although under different leadership, the high school and technical institute are on the same parcel of land, which allows the high school students to walk over and participate in the technical program of their choice, officials from the school said.
 
The 162,000-square-foot building will house automotive technology, building technology, construction trades, and architectural drafting, among other departments.
 
The facility was designed to incorporate the latest in informational technology and provide flexible spaces to accommodate future changes in the programs, with the goal of providing students the most up-to-date job training and instruction in such areas as high tech laboratories for business education, culinary arts, and nursing.
 
Access to the facility is secure and controlled with key card access for campus safety. Designed for the community, workforce, and students, the institute features a Bistro Café that serves meals to the staff and public and is operated by the Culinary Arts Program.
 

A meeting and conference center, which can accommodate up to 200 people, is also available to the public, “truly making this technical center a place for learning, training, and the community,” officials said.