Hillsborough County (Fla.) district is constructing a replacement facility for its Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center in Tampa

The Hillsborough County (Fla.) district is constructing a $19.5 million replacement facility for the Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center in Tampa.

The K-12 center serves about 60 children with emotional and behavioral needs, reports Business Observer. 

The new 40,000-square-foot building will have 12 classrooms that will be illuminated with ample amounts of natural light. The windows, which will be painted in muted blues, greens and yellows, were designed to limit distractions and calm students. 

Students will stay on campus while construction is taking place, existing classrooms that are being used have been moved to the other side of the campus to help reduce noise levels and mitigate potential problems with students who may be sensitive to loud noises.  

Construction is expected to be complete by August 2023. 

Skanska is the construction manager and Fleischmann-Garcia Architecture is the architecture.