The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority recently awarded a contract to VanTrust Real Estate to develop a 9-story office building – the first commercial office building linked to Tampa International Airport by a people mover.
The building will be located in a prime spot in the new SkyCenter development, with an elevated pedestrian walkway connecting the adjacent atrium to the SkyConnect station at the rental car center. Other amenities of the 270,000-square-foot building will include a conference center, fitness center, café and access to multipurpose trails that will eventually join with Tampa Bay’s regional trail network.
“This will be a Class A office building in an excellent location with unrivaled access to Tampa International Airport,” said Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications Chris Minner. “With easy connectivity to the Airport, downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, this is really the ideal location for a wide range of companies.
Construction should be completed in 2021. VanTrust, which is based in Kansas City with offices in Jacksonville, will design, build and manage the office building and adjacent parking garage. The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority will occupy three floors – a move that allows the airport to relocate its in-terminal offices to make way for expanded curbsides with express lanes for passengers who aren’t checking bags.
The building and curbsides are part of a three-phase Master Plan that will allow the airport to accommodate 34 million passengers every year. TPA served a record 21 million passengers in 2018.
The building will serve as the primary home for the Authority’s employees and the nerve centers for all airport operations. Given the critical nature of the work, the building has been hardened against severe weather and is more robust than similar office buildings in the area. Everything from the windows and walls to the HVAC and life-safety systems have been upgraded. The building will feature back-up utility lines – including power, data – and will also have generator back-up.
VanTrust has contracted with design-builder J.E. Dunn for the construction of the office building and HOK for the design.
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