Valencia, UCF Officials Dedicate New Building at Osceola Campus

By Georgiana Mihaila, Associate Editor

Valencia College officials, along with officials from the University of Central Florida, dedicated the newest building on Valencia’s Osceola Campus on April 11, marking the expansion of the Valencia-UCF partnership in Osceola County.

The new 150,000-square-foot Building 4 is the largest building on any Valencia campus; the four-story building was designed to house 18 classrooms, the campus library, a bookstore, 10 science labs, math and computer labs, as well as the campus cafeteria and a coffee bar. Space has also been set aside for 18 offices for UCF faculty members and administrative staff.

Designed by architectural firm Hunton-Brady and built by contractor Clancy & Theys, Building 4’s construction costs were approximately $35 million, with UCF contributing $7.5 million.

UCF, which operates a regional campus at Valencia’s Osceola Campus, already offers a handful of degrees at the Kissimmee campus, ranging from business to political science. With this expanded presence on the Osceola campus, UCF plans to add a diverse array of bachelor’s degrees to the Osceola campus by fall 2013, including degrees in biomedical science, criminal justice, psychology, public administration and health services administration.

Building 4 was intentionally designed to set itself apart from any other classroom building on the campus. The outdoor and indoor spaces were designed to provide meeting and study space for students, courtyards provide shade and places for students to relax, and the library features a huge reading room with windows that overlook the campus. Architect Maurizio Maso, who designed the building, said the vision for Building 4 came from a meeting with Shugart.  “He said the architecture should be soaring, inspiring and grounded—and that if Osceola Campus is a village, Building 4 should be the cathedral.”

The building, which opened for classes in January, has quickly become the center of student life for the 12,000 students who take classes at the Kissimmee campus.

Image via Valencia College