Skanska has won two contracts together worth $130m to build two elementary schools in Florida’s Manatee County, which is seeing rapid population growth.
The county has gained 5,000 new students since 2020, putting pressure on the district’s 16 existing schools.
The new schools – Artisan Lakes Elementary and Rye Ranch Elementary – will each be two storeys, with a built area of 134,600 sq ft.
In each, 60 classrooms will accommodate 950 students from Kindergarten to Grade 5.
Artisan Lakes Elementary will be designed by PBK and built on a 20-acre greenfield site in the city of Palmetto. Rye Ranch Elementary will go up on 18 acres in Parrish.
They’re due to be finished in 2026.
Skanska has carved a niche for itself in building Florida schools. It recently completed an expansion and renovation at Buffalo Creek Middle School, and it has around $400m worth of educational projects in the state in Osceola, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, Marion and Lee counties.
Daniel Abou-Jaoude, Skanska’s vice-president, said: “We are proud to return to the School District of Manatee County to construct state-of-the-art educational facilities to serve the district’s rapid development.”
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