The University of Florida plans to open a Jacksonville center for architecture education and research in January.
JaxLab CityLab will be a 3,500-square-foot classroom and workspace on the third floor of the St. John's Cathedral Education Building at 256 E. Church St., according to a Certificate of Use application to the city June 29.
It is the second iteration of a program UF established in Orlando in 2012, said associate professor Nancy Clark, director of the university’s Center for Hydro-generated Urbanism and JaxLab program director.
“We are building on the success of the Orlando project. We have more grad students there than at the campus in Gainesville,” Clark said.
At JaxLab, architecture students will be able to enroll in courses accredited to offer the Integrated Path to Architecture Licensure.
CityLabs offer a Master of Architecture for people who want to become licensed architects and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies focused on historic preservation, resilience and sustainability, as well as graduate certificates.
After some minor modifications, the space will be equipped with desks, computer terminals and 3D printers and laser cutters for making architectural models. About 30 students are expected to be enrolled in January, Clark said.
Class schedules are in a hybrid format to accommodate people who are working as interns at local architecture firms. Most classes will be conducted live online in the evening.
At certain times in the semester, students will go to the center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for four or five days of workshops, design charrettes and in-person presentations, Clark said.
The discussion of expanding CityLab to Jacksonville began when The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead, dean of St. John’s Cathedral, contacted the university with the idea.
“She was instrumental in helping us locate at the cathedral. We love being Downtown and we’re happy to be in the cathedral. We’ll bring new energy to the district,” Clark said.
