Overlooking an elaborate building model, the faint sound of bagpipes filled the air as students, faculty and alumni chattered with excitement for the start of another UF facility construction project.
The UF College of Design, Construction and Planning hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 6 for the Bruno E. and Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory. The building is named after two-time UF alumnus Bruno-Elias Ramos and his wife, Maritza, who donated a portion of the funds for the building.
The building, which is projected to be completed by DCP’s centennial in 2025, will feature collaborative spaces for faculty and students, DCP research centers, a digital modeling space, lecture halls, seminar rooms and a virtual design and construction lab.
The multidisciplinary nature of the design will embody the interdisciplinary nature of the college, according to a DCP press release.
DCP spokesperson Joey Mazzafero said the new state-of-the-art facility will attract the best and the brightest to the university.
“I'm just really excited because I think facilities are one of the first impressions, prospective students get when they come here,” Mazzafero said.
The Ramoses, UF President Kent Fuchs, Provost and Senior Academic Affairs Vice President Joseph Glover, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Charlie Lane, Vice President for Advancement Tom Mitchell and Board of Trustees member David L. Brandon were in attendance.
“I personally love the name of it,” Fuchs said. “The Collaboratory. It tells us we’re all here to work together, not just in the DCP but across the university.”
Brooks and Scarpa Architects, a firm based out of Los Angeles and Florida, designed the building model. The firm is led by DCP graduates Angela Brooks, Larry Scarpa, and Jeffrey Huber. The project will be managed by Jacksonville firm Stellar Construction, founded by UF Construction Hall of Fame member and UF alumnus Ronald H. Foster.
As the field of construction becomes more interdisciplinary, Huber said, the building will be critical in beginning collaborative efforts across fields such as design and engineering. He added it’ll be one of the most sustainable buildings on campus and will work cohesively with the existing architecture building.
“The intention for this building is to embed entities outside our college, such as science and engineering, together,” Huber said.
Rachel Moss, a 19-year-old UF architecture sophomore and DCP ambassador said she’s looking forward to having a building where multiple disciplines combine as opposed to the semi-separated nature students experience now.
“[I’m looking forward] to just having a space that helps represent who we are and has resources that we can use,” she said.
Contact Peyton at pharris@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @Peytonlharris.
Peyton Harris is a third-year English major and Senior News Director for the Alligator. In her free time, she likes to doomscroll on Twitter and crochet.
