America’s Largest Coral Reef Center Wins Top Florida Design Award

Media Kit with videos and photos: http://www.nova.edu/ocean/excellence/index.html

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Nova Southeastern University’s Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research recently won the Best Overall Project Award given by the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Florida region.

First row left-to-right: Picton Warlow, Moss & Associates; Lazaro Alfonso, Bliss & Nytray, Inc; Jessica Brumley, Nova Southeastern University; Travis Serpas, Moss/Miller LLC; Jesse Miller, Moss/Miller LLC; Brett Atkinson, Russell Anderson, and David Ciampini, Moss & Associates accept the award. Second row left-to-right: Justin Sligh and Sohail Rana, Moss & Associates; and Roland Lemke, Cannon Design.

The 87,000-square foot, $50 million Center was chosen among other elite competitors such as LEGOLAND Florida.

The award was presented to NSU and its design/builder (Moss and Miller, LLC), and their design/build team which included (Cannon Design, Acai Associates and Bliss & Nyitray, Inc.) during the 7th Annual Conference of the DBIA’s Florida Region on Sept. 13 and 14 in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.

“This prestigious award from DBIA validates our commitment to building facilities at the university that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also environmentally friendly,” said NSU President George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. “Because of its energy efficient design, Florida Power & Light has given NSU a discount on the building’s electric bill. We are proud of the research Center’s magnificent design features as well as the scientists and students who are making new discoveries to ensure our environmental sustainability of coral reefs.”

Winning this prestigious award automatically qualifies the Center of Excellence to compete for the national Best Overall Award at the 2013 national DBIA conference. In addition to winning the Best Overall Project Award in the Florida region, the Center also won the Best Overall Project Award in the region’s education category.

“To be recognized as the best of the best by the DBIA only reinforces how well this design build team worked together to produce the finest research facility of its kind for NSU,” said Brett Atkinson, senior vice president of Moss & Associates. “We are very proud of our accomplishments, but more importantly we look forward to the significant research that will be conducted by NSU scientists in this facility.”

The Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research is located at NSU’s Oceanographic Center at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. A grand opening will be held on Sept. 27.

Rising above the park, the 5-story concrete structure with sleek curtain wall glass sits near the entrance to Port Everglades and takes its design inspiration from the ocean. It offers commanding views of the port, downtown Ft. Lauderdale and the Atlantic Ocean, and its coral reefs.

Incorporating many energy efficient and sustainable features, the Center is anticipated to be awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Center has created 22 new academic jobs and 300 construction jobs; and it will employ 50 graduate students as well as preserving 22 existing academic jobs. NSU received a $15 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce (using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) to build the center, while the university funded the rest of the project.

In addition to having laboratories and sophisticated scientific equipment, the Center has space for research collaboration, training, scuba areas, and fieldwork staging, a marine science library and an 85-seat auditorium. The building’s design promotes research by current and new faculty, researchers, visiting scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students.

###

About The Design-Build Institute of America: DBIA is an association of leaders in the design and construction industry utilizing design-build and integrated project delivery methods to achieve high performance projects. Founded in 1993, and headquartered in Washington, D.C., DBIA proudly stands as the only membership organization bringing together thousands of organizations and individuals representing architects, engineers, public and private owners, general and specialty contractors, manufacturer and suppliers, students, college and university faculty, legal and finance professionals and many more.  In summary, DBIA is the design and construction industry’s hub — the only organization that makes whole the industry’s many parts. http://www.dbia.org/

About Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center: A world leader in marine biological research with focus on coral reef science and shark conservation, Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center has been at the forefront of graduate and undergraduate marine science education and oceanographic research for over 48 years. Students, scientists, faculty and staff come to the Center from all corners of the globe, with the common goal of learning from the ocean’s living classrooms — in one of the most diverse ecosystems known to man. http://www.nova.edu/ocean/

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally with more than 28,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.  www.nova.edu

Media Contact:
Ken Ma, MBA, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5408 (office), 954-621-7961 (cell), ken.ma@nova.edu