December 5, 2023

ORLANDO, FL – Balfour Beatty is proud to announce the completion of Lake Highland Preparatory School’s (LHP) Porter Family Center for Innovation & Academics in downtown Orlando. The four-story facility offers 71,000 square feet of exceptional spaces for Upper School students to pursue their full potential to learn, lead, serve and change the world.

Balfour Beatty served as general contractor for the 14-month project which replaces LHP’s Johnston and Hale Halls. Funded by generous donors of the school’s Elevate Highlanders Campaign, the capital project provides a transformational facility that expands LHP’s national reputation in STEM education and serves as the campus’ centerpiece for collaboration, innovation and academic achievement.

“We are grateful to our construction partner Balfour Beatty for their outstanding work as general contractor of the Porter Family Center for Innovation & Academics,” shared Lake Highland President Jim McIntyre. “Our school’s bold dream to build an academic center unparalleled in our region has come to life, and the remarkable learning and teaching there are producing innovative, talented, and inspired leaders who will change the world.”  

The facility features the Tillman Family Student Center on the ground floor, a vibrant home for student life on campus with spaces that invite students to meet, exchange ideas and build community including its Vivar Student Union, Scott Family Commons and Kind Family Library. This floor also includes an administrative center for college advising, academic counseling and administrative offices.

On the second floor, the Innovation Institute is home to the Carmany Family Innovation Hub, a two-story, state-of-the-art makerspace surrounded by teaching labs for physics, engineering and design, robotics, computer science, augmented and virtual reality and more. The third floor is dedicated to the Morsi Mathematics Institute which offers a signature collaboration zone and innovative math classrooms, while the fourth floor houses the Center for Literary Arts with English and language arts classrooms. The fourth floor also includes the Starling Gallery, which provides an exceptional venue for events, meetings and student activities.

Outdoor spaces include the Jackson Breezeway and the Steinmetz Family Innovation Courtyard which enhances students’ enjoyment of the LHP campus and lakefront location.

“The Porter Family Center for Innovation & Academics is a stunning facility strategically built and designed to promote an enhanced learning experience for students in Central Florida,” said Scott Skidelsky, Balfour Beatty president in the Southeast. “Balfour Beatty is proud to partner with Lake Highland, its donors, and industry partners to deliver this state-of-the-art learning space for the future generations of tomorrow.”

Designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture, the Porter Family Center for Innovation & Academics opened to students, faculty and staff at the start of the 2023-2024 school year. To learn more about LHP please visit lhps.org.