Status Update: IMG Academy Campus Center in Bradenton

MANATEE -- Students at IMG Academy have more dining options and another place to study and hang out with the recent completion of the school's new campus center building.

The new, 40,300-square-foot building received its certificate of occupancy in February and is now in the middle of student life at the athletics-oriented prep school. Part of the second phase of a $198 million expansion of the school, it is one of several projects built during of a spate of new construction.

Over the past two years, the school has opened a new, $5.4 million field house, a 105,000-square-foot residence hall and a new academic building and a baseball complex. The school is currently building a 65,000-square-foot sports performance center slated to be finished by summer, according to IMG officials.

According to the school, the campus center building houses several dining options, including French-style bakery La Boulangerie, Asian food from Fuzion and pizza from The Brick Oven. A 400-seat private dining area is also available for teams and large groups.

The center's other amenities include a game room, a hospitality and campus information center, a health services center a campus store and study areas.

The center shares its builder and architect with all the other recently completed buildings on campus. Tandem Construction was the general contractor on the job. Fawley Bryant Architects designed the center.

According to Fawley Bryant, the design of the campus center was influenced by the site location and conditions. The center was sited to be the "connective tissue" between other aspects of student life. Its central location on campus and in the school's master development plan was intended to provided the most efficient access to student services, dining, medical services and recreation.

More new buildings are on the way. Last month, IMG filed plans with Manatee County to construct a team training building that includes offices, conference rooms and locker rooms for visiting teams and athletes.

Status Update, by business reporter Matt M. Johnson, is a regular look at the progress of construction projects throughout Manatee County. Follow Johnson on Twitter@MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Status Update: IMG Academy Campus Center in Bradenton ."