FleischmanGarciaMaslowski (FG+M) Architecture has crafted a centralized hub where the public can engage with different City of Tampa departments, previously dispersed across the urban core. The design ensures collaboration and interconnectedness among all participating departments to strengthen the bond between the community and municipal services. These include Neighborhood and Community Affairs, Development and growth, Workforce Development, Technology and innovation, Water Permitting, Planning, Purchasing, Wellness Center, Human Resources, Facilities, and Central Fleet.
The new municipal complex addresses departmental growth in a continuously evolving city. It serves as both an anchor for the community and a catalyst for redefining East Tampa.
Four structures occupy the site: the main Administration Building, Parking Garage, Central Fleet Maintenance, and a Facilities Building. The 161,000 sq. ft. Administration Building program is distributed across three floors and organized around a central space that will serve as the epicenter of social, cultural, and economic life: the “Agora.” The center’s entry is a gradual sequence of the diagonal central path woven through the plaza, past the portico’s forest of columns, and into the building. Around this main path, many activities activate the route inside and outside. Tiered steps, a multipurpose lawn, a trellis, and a drop-off area activate the entry plaza around the path.
Other site components include a café patio, utility yard, delivery area, pump station with fuel tanks, and electric vehicle charging stations. Hanna Avenue City Center proudly obtained LEED Gold Certification with sustainable features like solar arrays to provide the municipal complex with an alternative energy source. The parking garage concentrates vehicles in a centralized location to maximize the green space in the plaza.
