Project Description
Florida’s Manatee Technical Institute (MTI) celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2013 with the opening of a new, modern, high-tech Main Campus facility. Students, faculty and visitors are welcomed through the school’s impressive two-story lobby featuring Chicago Metallic® SpanAir® metal panel ceiling systems.
Located at 6305 State Road 70 East in Bradenton, Fla., MTI’s state-of-the-art $44 million facility boasts 210,000 square feet of space. Designed with the latest energy-efficient construction and teaching technologies, this facility compares with surrounding universities in quality and features.
As the building’s main feature, the multi-purpose lobby serves as a 700-person reception area or reconfigured as a 400-seat dining hall. The two-story space directs the eye upward to a sloped, curved ceiling created using Chicago Metallic’s products. Acousti Engineering Company of Florida installed approximately 27,000 square feet of SpanAir metal ceiling panels.
MTI broke ground on the project in March 2011. Construction was completed in 18 months. Architectural firm Fawley|Bryant’s executive vice president, Michael Bryant, LEED® AP, explains, “This design is meant to attract your attention and have a presence that elevates MTI to its proper position as one of the most well respected technical schools in the country.” Realizing the potential and value MTI has for the community, the district committed to creating a new MTI “state-of-the-art, globally recognized campus” in 2003 and, through a competitive interview process, hired the team of Fawley|Bryant and internationally known architects Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum (HOK) to design the new MTI.
“The open space that awaits guests when they first walk into the building and look slightly left is meant to induce the ‘wow’ factor. Creating a space of unique grandeur was a key element for the architect and general contractor,” says Jackie Drake, ASID, IIDA. As a licensed interior designer with Acousti, Drake worked closely with the design team, Chicago Metallic and general contractor The Beck Group to bring this impressive vision to reality.
“It’s a massive space. Fawley|Bryant was able to bring it to the next level. They chose a metal ceiling system to maximize the height of the lobby space, follow the curve of the roofline and complement the overall, modern look of the building,” describes Drake. “The installation team consisted of true artisans. Chicago Metallic’s products were able to encompass all of the project’s requirements; providing a custom fit at a good value.”