March 11, 2015

Tampa’s New Temple to Business - Tiedemann College of Business Underway at University South Florida St. Petersburg

Tiedemann College of Business

Construction is underway for a new college of business at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Designed by ikon.5 architects, the $27m facility will be the first purpose built home for the University’s business program, which has been operational since 1965.

Conceived as an ‘athenaeum for business’, the three story, 60,000 square foot structure takes inspiration from its Tampa Bay setting and the indigenous coral stone. Like the stone, the building is a porous container with openings carved out of its volume that house various program elements and allow sunlight and landscaping to penetrate deep within the building. One of these openings is a Palm-lined courtyard with seating located at the building’s entrance. Other openings house a light-filled central commons and a scholar’s garden that support casual learning and encourage productive collisions to occur between students and faculty as they move through the building.

The multi-story commons and scholar garden are spatially intermeshed and ringed with active programs spaces including a trading room, community room, break rooms and classrooms that connect the learner to his or her environment. The building is enclosed with a glass curtain wall with a ceramic frit pattern inspired by the naturally occurring openings in coral stone. This fritting also serves to filter the light entering the building and to protect occupants from the harsh Florida summer heat. The Tiedemann College of Business is set at the terminus of the campus axis along a public street, where it symbolically serves as a bridge between academia and the markets. The building is expected to open in the fall of 2016.

About ikon.5 architects

ikon.5 architects is a nationally recognized design practice with projects in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southern United States. In 2013 the practice was ranked “4th in Design” by Architect magazine. Founded in 2003 by Principals Joseph G. Tattoni, AIA, Arvind Tikku, AIA and Charlie Maira, AIA, ikon.5 has more than 70 design awards to its credit, including three international awards earned in 2014; an Architzer A+ Award for best art gallery for the McGee Arts Pavilion at the New York State College of Arts and Design, Architectural Lighting magazine’s “Light & Architecture Award” for the Schindler Elevator U.S Headquarters, and an International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for the Monmouth Battlefield State Park and Visitor Center.

About Kate Tiedemann College of Business

Named after a German émigré who established and later sold a successful surgical instrument company in Florida, the Kate Tiedemann College of Business is ranked in the nation’s top 100 business schools by U.S. News& World Report.