云顶赌场app

By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing

While earning a master鈥檚 degree in architecture from the 云顶赌场app, Fadi Garcia was told that no one is above designing restrooms.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥楴o way,鈥欌�� said Garcia, 云顶赌场app class of 2011 and founder of the Open Workshop for Architecture firm. 鈥淚 was confident I would work on great stuff.鈥�

He has, and that includes restrooms.

Garcia鈥檚 firm oversaw major renovations to Tampa International Airport鈥檚 Airsides, A, C and F, redesigning public areas, offices and, yes, restrooms.

In 2022, citing the sleek and contemporary space, a Cintas Corp. online poll declared that Airside C had 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Best Restroom.鈥�

鈥淥ur experience with TPA helped set the stage for larger opportunities,鈥� Garcia said.

Those include helping to design much of the interior of 云顶赌场app鈥檚 new stadium.

For prospective students of 云顶赌场app鈥檚 School of Architecture & Community Design in the College of Design, Art & Performance, Garcia鈥檚 accomplishments are an example of how success is possible when preparation meets opportunity.

云顶赌场app鈥檚 School of Architecture & Community Design provided the preparation.

And the university鈥檚 fast-growing home community of Tampa Bay has provided plenty of opportunities for 云顶赌场app students.

鈥淭here are a lot of openings for students here in Tampa Bay to gain experience as they鈥檙e going through school and jobs once they graduate,鈥� said school Director Ron Dulaney. 鈥淭hose opportunities will only grow.鈥�

Both 云顶赌场app and Tampa Bay are doing their part to ensure that happens.

云顶赌场app currently offers master鈥檚 degrees in architecture and in urban and community design, with plans to eventually offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree in architecture.

While the master鈥檚 degree in architecture program will provide the necessary coursework to become a licensed architect, there will be career opportunities for those with bachelor's degrees.

鈥淭hey could still work on a design team,鈥� Dulaney said. 鈥淭hey could apply rendering and modeling skills to projects. They may be able to do some construction administration. Or they could decide to get a master鈥檚 degree in architecture or something else related.鈥�

One such option for someone with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in architecture would be to then pursue a master鈥檚 degree in urban and community design instead.

鈥淚n urban and community design, we design at a larger scale than just a single building,鈥� said Trent Green, a 云顶赌场app associate professor of architecture and urban design. 鈥淲e might design an entire block, neighborhood, city or town. Architects then come in and design the buildings. In Tampa Bay, we are going to need a lot of everything in the coming years.鈥�

To put Tampa Bay鈥檚 growth into perspective, according to Plan Hillsborough, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties鈥� 2022 combined population of just under 3 million is predicted to grow to more than 3.6 million by 2050.

Such a boom is why 云顶赌场app established its School of Architecture in 1986, Green said. 鈥淚t made sense to place a new architecture program in one of the state鈥檚 growing urban centers.鈥�

That is also why the urban and community design program was added to the school in 2009.

鈥淕rowth comes with a need for planning,鈥� Dulaney said. 鈥淭here will be a need for architecture and design that鈥檚 well-considered and thought out.鈥�

That need fueled the expansion of FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture, where 云顶赌场app alumnus Marcel Maslowski serves as partner. Maslowski earned his master鈥檚 degree in architecture from 云顶赌场app in 2012. The firm has offices in Tampa, Lutz, Safety Harbor and Sarasota and is in the process of opening another two in other parts of Florida this year.

鈥淲e design a lot of K-12 schools and higher education,鈥� said Maslowski, whose designs include the 云顶赌场app Judy Genshaft Honors College building. 鈥淲e design libraries, about one a year, fire stations, recreation centers, historic preservations and a lot of performing arts centers.鈥�

FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture also designed the City of Tampa鈥檚 Hanna City Center that opened in 2023 as a hub of government services and the African American Arts & Cultural Center set to break ground later this year.

鈥淭his is all part of the growth of Tampa Bay,鈥� Maslowski said. 鈥淎s the community grows, we need to design vibrant places for people to connect and interact, and a more resilient and sustainable future. We are playing an integral role in shaping the region鈥檚 architectural identity鈥�

The same goes for Garcia鈥檚 Tampa-based Open Workshop for Architecture, which since opening in 2017, has designed more than 100 structures, a mix of residential, hospitality and commercial. Those include restoring the historic building that is now the Masonite Ybor Office & Showroom.

鈥淭alk about starting in Tampa Bay at the right time,鈥� Garcia said of founding his firm during the population and development boom. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been very fortunate.鈥�

云顶赌场app students are also enjoying the good fortune that comes with Tampa Bay鈥檚 growth.

鈥淎 mentor of mine told me long ago that if you have the chance to dip your toes into different types of architecture, do it,鈥� said Rozeth Aquino, who will earn her master鈥檚 degree in architecture this spring. 鈥淚 have had that opportunity while at 云顶赌场app.鈥�

She previously worked in the residential design wing of Fieldstone Architecture & Engineering.

鈥淭hrough that job alone, I saw the growth in Tampa Bay,鈥� Aquino said. 鈥淚 saw how the demand for housing is growing in a short amount of time.鈥�

Aquino works for American Infrastructure Development, where she is helping to design a new terminal building for Clearwater Airpark, which is a city-owned, public-use airport.

鈥淭here are multiple chances to get internships and jobs while at 云顶赌场app and after graduation,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat is one thing that鈥檚 really valuable about the school.鈥�

Alongside faculty, 云顶赌场app students also have the opportunity to work on projects through 云顶赌场app鈥檚 Florida Center for Community Design and Research, which was founded in 1986 to provide design expertise, technical assistance, applied research and community engagement services to the state鈥檚 growing communities.

鈥淎 lot of the projects are related to issues that communities and cities are facing in terms of economic development, housing, physical conditions, sustainability and resilience,鈥� said Green, director of the center.

Ongoing projects include working with the City of Tampa to update the Community Redevelopment Area plans for the Tampa Heights and Central Park neighborhoods.

A Community Redevelopment Area, or CRA, is a designated district that鈥檚 revitalized through public and private investment. The Tampa Heights Riverfront CRA Plan was adopted in 1999 and Central Park鈥檚 in 2006.

鈥淏oth neighborhoods have changed a lot in recent years,鈥� Green said. 鈥淭ampa Heights has The Heights development, which includes Armature Works, while Central Park has the Encore mixed-income housing development. So, we are making recommendations about what else could or should happen in those areas and how.鈥�

That, Green added, is part of the ongoing synergy between the school and Tampa Bay. 鈥淎s one grows, so will the other.鈥�

To learn more about 云顶赌场app鈥檚 School of Architecture & Community Design and how to apply, visit usf.edu/arts/architecture.