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Published In: ENR Southeast

Officials with the University of Miami’s School of Architecture recently dedicated the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building, which was designed by Arquitectonica and built by Coastal Construction Group. Funded by a lead donation from Tom Murphy Jr., Coastal’s founder, chairman and CEO, the building was named in memory of his father, Thomas P. Murphy, a painting contractor and South Florida builder for more than 30 years.

Of his father, Murphy said: “He was my mentor and best friend, and is the reason that I went into the construction business. Our success is a tribute to him, and it’s our honor to name this building after him.” The 20,000-sq-ft facility provides collaborative space for up to 130 students and includes a modern fabrications lab and workstations, presentation areas, review spaces and offices. It features a large cantilevered roof slab, suspended 18 ft by narrow steel pipe columns, that allows natural light to fill the space. “We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to the University of Miami and to have our family’s name on an industry building at the school,” said Murphy.

Representatives from Gainesville, Fla.-based Oelrich Construction, the Cade Foundation and GWWO Architects were among those attending ENR Southeast’s annual Best Projects Awards event, held Nov. 1 in Orlando. And with good reason.

The team took home this year’s Southeast Project of the Year award for its design and construction of the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville. Pictured holding the award plaques are, from left, Phoebe Miles, the museum’s founder, and Ivan Oelrich, president of Oelrich Construction. Miles, the brainchild for the museum, is the daughter of Dr. Robert James Cade, who was the lead inventor of Gatorade.