The project encompasses six buildings supporting academics, recreation and broader school community activities. | Photo Credit: Spiezle Architectural Group
- Project: New Fort Pierce K-8 School
- Location: St. Lucie County, Fla.
- Size: 215,000 square feet across six buildings
- Capacity: Approximately 1,800 students
- Architect: Spiezle Architectural Group
- Construction Manager: Wharton-Smith
- Builder: The Morganti Group Inc.
- Key spaces: Academic environments, gymnasium, auditorium and supporting facilities
- Project goal: Replace aging schools with a unified, flexible and resilient K-8 campus
LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — St. Lucie Public Schools has broken ground on a new 215,000-square-foot K-8 campus in Fort Pierce designed to replace aging school facilities and create a modern learning environment for approximately 1,800 students.
District leaders joined project architect Spiezle Architectural Group and other members of the project team for a groundbreaking ceremony July 27. The new campus will consolidate students into a unified K-8 environment intended to serve families in the Fort Pierce community for generations.
The project encompasses six buildings supporting academics, recreation and broader school community activities. Plans include contemporary instructional spaces as well as a gymnasium, auditorium and supporting facilities designed to accommodate students across multiple grade levels.
Spiezle Architectural Group is providing design services for the project, while Wharton-Smith is serving as construction manager and Morganti Group Inc. as builder.
Creating a Flexible K-8 Environment
The campus is being designed around flexibility, safety and long-term adaptability. Academic and support spaces will accommodate the different developmental and educational needs of elementary and middle school students while connecting them within a single campus community.
Resilience is also a component of the design, reflecting the importance of durable educational infrastructure in Florida and the district’s goal of creating a facility capable of serving the community over the long term.
“Breaking ground on the new Ft. Pierce K-8 School marks an exciting step forward for St. Lucie Public Schools and the families it serves,” said Steven G. Siegel, AIA, LEED AP, principal at Spiezle Architectural Group. “This campus is designed to help connect a learning community that will give 1,800 students safe, flexible and inspiring spaces to learn, grow and thrive.”
The new school continues an existing relationship between Spiezle and St. Lucie Public Schools focused on adaptable K-8 and K-12 learning environments.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Spiezle representatives presented St. Lucie Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jon R. Prince with a commemorative gold shovel recognizing the project milestone and collaboration between the district and project team.