• Project:听New Fort Pierce K-8 School听
• Location:听St.鈥疞ucie County, Fla.听
• Size:听215,000 square feet听across six buildings听
• Capacity:听Approximately 1,800 students听
• Architect:听Spiezle听Architectural Group听
• Construction Manager: The Morganti Group Inc.
• Key spaces:听Academic environments, gymnasium,听auditorium听and supporting facilities听
• Project goal:听Replace aging schools with a unified,听flexible听and resilient K-8 campus

LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. 鈥� St.鈥疞ucie Public Schools has broken ground on a new 215,000-square-foot K-8 campus in Fort Pierce designed to replace aging school facilities and create a modern learning environment for approximately 1,800 students.

District leaders joined project architect听Spiezle听Architectural Group and other members of the project team for a groundbreaking听ceremony听July 27. The new campus will听consolidate听students into a unified K-8 environment intended to serve families in the Fort Pierce community for generations.听

The project encompasses six buildings supporting academics,听recreation听and broader school community activities. Plans include contemporary instructional spaces as well as a gymnasium,听auditorium听and supporting facilities designed to accommodate students across multiple grade levels.听

Spiezle Architectural Group is providing design services for the project. The construction manager is The Morganti Group, Inc.

Creating a Flexible K-8 Environment听

The campus is听being designed听around听flexibility,听safety听and long-term adaptability. Academic and support spaces will accommodate the different developmental and educational needs of elementary and middle school students while connecting them within a single campus community.听

Resilience is also a听component听of the design, reflecting the importance of durable educational infrastructure in Florida and the district鈥檚 goal of creating a facility capable of serving the community over the long term.听

鈥淏reaking ground on the new Ft. Pierce K-8 School marks an exciting step forward for St.鈥疞ucie Public Schools and the families it serves,鈥� said Steven G. Siegel, AIA, LEED AP, principal at听Spiezle听Architectural Group. 鈥淭his campus is designed to help connect a learning community that will give 1,800 students safe, flexible and inspiring spaces to learn, grow and thrive.鈥�听

The new school continues an existing relationship between听Spiezle听and St.鈥疞ucie Public Schools focused on adaptable K-8 and K-12 learning environments.听

During the groundbreaking ceremony,听Spiezle听representatives presented St.鈥疞ucie Public Schools Superintendent Dr.鈥疛on R. Prince with a commemorative gold shovel recognizing the project milestone and collaboration between the district and project team.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed Wharton Smith as the construction manager on the project. The Morganti Group Inc. is the construction manager. 糖心少女 regrets this error.

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ST LUCIE, Fla. 鈥擳he design process is now underway on the new Western Grove K-8 School in St. Lucie, Fla. The 217,500-square-foot prototype campus will serve approximately 2,000 students when it opens in August 2026. In addition to teaching, learning, support and recreation spaces, the project will serve as a refuge during natural disasters. 听

Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., a full-service architectural, interior and design firm headquartered in Hamilton, N.J., with offices in Maitland, Fla., and Vero Beach, Fla.鈥� was selected to provide design services for the project. The firm will work in conjunction with Sanford, Fla.-based construction management firm Wharton-Smith.听

鈥淪piezle鈥檚 design for Western Grove K-8 builds on the extensive history shared between us and the school district, as we continue to evolve and modernize our prototypes, while creating a model that is easily replicable at other future school sites throughout the district,鈥� said Anthony Donadio, principal of Spiezle, in a statement.

Mentioned in the plans are six different facilities, including two-story academic buildings and a two-story administration building alongside a gymnasium. Each floor of the academic-focused buildings will house four classroom pods surrounded by interior extended learning areas. Laboratories, classrooms and areas specifically designed for science demonstrations are sprinkled throughout the common core facility and classroom buildings. Separate bathrooms for students and faculty are located on each floor within the school grade pods, and a chiller plant for environmentally sustainable thermal regulation will be integrated on the campus grounds.听

Doubling as a cafeteria and auditorium, an innovative 33,569-square-foot 鈥渁uditoria鈥� will serve as a hub for performing arts classes, dining and custodial spaces. In addition to a cafeteria area, a stage, and separate classrooms for band, art and vocal lessons, the auditoria will double as an Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA), a critical addition due to the school鈥檚 location on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. The last hurricane to sweep through St. Lucie was Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which claimed at least six lives across St. Lucie County.听

The outside amenities at Western Grove will include several playgrounds, a multipurpose field and a hard court as well as a drop-off/pick-up area for both bus transportation and guardian pick-ups.听

鈥淭his new school will provide students in St. Lucie with a safe, clean, and forward-thinking facility that will suit their needs for many years to come,” said Steven G. Siegel, AIA, LEED AP, principal at Spiezle Architectural Group.

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. 鈥� The new Center for Accelerated Training (CAT) facility at Valencia College鈥檚 Kissimmee campus offers students access to accelerated skills training programs and nationally recognized industry certifications in Osceola County. Designed by DLR Group, the 14,700-square-foot center houses short-term training courses to support local workforce needs. This is the third CAT facility to open at Valencia College; DLR Group designed the original CAT prototype facility, which opened on the Poinciana Campus in 2017.

Sanford, Fla.-based Wharton-Smith, Inc. Construction Group served as the general contractor for the project.

The new facility consists of 10 classrooms, a computer lab for instruction and hands-on activities, and a large bay area for skills training. Programs include technical training for apartment maintenance, carpentry, clinical medical assisting, core construction, heavy construction equipment, roofing, transportation logistics, and warehouse packaging.

鈥淒LR Group is excited to continue our partnership with Valencia College and to deliver beautiful and functional facilities that meet the educational needs of its students,鈥� said DLR Group Principal Nicole Nichols, AIA. 鈥淭he new CAT facility is designed with a mix of labs, classrooms, and breakout spaces, allowing students to master skillsets necessary to immediately enter the workforce.鈥�

In addition to preparing workers for high-demand careers, the $4.5 million facility also features classrooms to house Valencia鈥檚 English programs for non-native speakers, as well as conversational Spanish and Portuguese classes.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to provide the Osceola County community with a space where students can pursue careers that might lead to higher wage employment,鈥� said Joe Battista, vice president of Global, Professional, and Continuing Education at Valencia College. 鈥淭hese programs provide the adult student an alternative way to attend college in an intensive six to 20 weeks of education and training.鈥�

The CAT facility will neighbor a new Careers in Industry and Technology (CIT) building, which is scheduled to open by January 2020.

The CIT building will be a 36,000-square foot building that will provide space for bringing Valencia鈥檚 engineering technology classes to the Osceola Campus. The building will also house classes for criminal justice technology, hospitality and tourism management and a new degree in residential property management. The five Associate in Science degree programs enable Osceola County students to earn two-year, workforce-oriented degrees without traveling to Valencia鈥檚 other campuses in Orlando.

The CIT building will also house classrooms, administrative offices and one small mock apartment unit for the college鈥檚 hospitality program.

The CIT building will also be home to Valencia鈥檚 mechatronics program, which is a short-term job training program currently housed at Valencia鈥檚 Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Kissimmee. Mechatronics technicians learn skills from electrical, technical and computer technologies to enable graduates to troubleshoot mechanical systems in everything from ATMs to assembly lines to computerized theme park rides.

鈥淭hese short-term training programs and specialized workforce degree programs have never been more important,鈥� said Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia鈥檚 Osceola, Lake Nona and Poinciana campuses. 鈥淣ot all jobs require a bachelor鈥檚 degree; not all jobs require even an associate鈥檚 degree, but essentially all jobs now require some education after high school.鈥�

The $13 million CIT facility will also provide short-term training for service technicians.

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