Artist’s rendering of the new science and technology building at Hillsborough Community College SouthShore campus.
The South County branch of Hillsborough Community College broke ground this week for its new two-story, 36,424-square-foot science and technology building.
“This will enable us to offer many more prerequisites for nursing and other premed studies than we have had before,” said Allen Witt, campus president. “Students who have families and jobs will be able to take many classes online, and then use their actual class time for the things that require being present in the classroom.
“They will be able to take many more courses here as well, and go on to study medicine at the University of South Florida or elsewhere much more quickly,” he said.
The building will have four non-organic chemistry labs, one organic chemistry lab, four multipurpose biology labs, eight classrooms and two computer classrooms, Witt said.
Construction began immediately after the official groundbreaking and is scheduled to be completed April 4, 2015.
Classes in the new building will begin with the fall semester of 2015.
“It’s important to note that the labs are being designed so they may also be used as classroom space,” Witt said. “This will give us flexibility as we continue to grow.”
Witt said that when the school opened, about 400 students were expected to enroll, but it opened with 1,652 students instead, immediately exceeding all estimates.
The new building will also have four offices and a suite for deans.
Like the other buildings on the campus, the new one will be a LEED-certified green building. LEED is a nationally certified building program authorized by the U.S. Green Building Council for environmentally friendly buildings.
Open spaces will be enclosed and climate-controlled, Witt said.
The campus has 18 portable buildings because of the large number of students who were not projected to be enrolled when it was first built. The staff will not be getting rid of all of these when the new addition is completed.
“We have grown so much faster than anyone expected,” Witt said. “They didn’t think the need in this part of the county would be so large when it was planned. So we will not take all the portables away. We know our growth has always exceeded expectations.”
Dr. Allen Witt, right, president of the HCC South Shore Campus, and professor Mustapha Lahrach, science program manager at the college, go over the final plans for the new science and technology building that will enable nursing and other premedical programs given at the school to go to a whole new level. Penny Fletcher Photo
The construction team for this project includes architects Reynolds Smith and Hills, civil engineer Stantec, MEP consultants Volt Air and construction manager Cutler Associates. The project budget is approximately $9.8 million.
The HCC SouthShore Campus was built on a 100-year-old tomato field donated by the Dickman family, one of Ruskin’s original founders.
Since its opening in 2008, HCC’s SouthShore Campus has grown to serve more than 6,500 students. During the 2013-2014 school year, enrollment for this campus grew 7.3 percent.
Hillsborough Community College serves more than 46,000 students annually at five campuses and three centers throughout Hillsborough County. HCC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
For additional information, visit www.hccfl.edu
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