Boca Raton, FL – Sept. 6, 2023 – The Center for Arts and Innovation has selected the renowned Pritzker Architecture Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano to design its forthcoming multimillion-dollar creative campus, set to redefine downtown Boca Raton and establish a global hub for creative excellence. With Piano only accepting two new commissions a year, this partnership is a testament of The Center’s mission to transform Boca Raton into an internationally recognized destination for culture and technology, create a tremendous point of pride for residents, and reinvigorate the city’s rich history of innovation. The Center will distinguish itself from any cultural venue across South Florida, encompassing versatile performance spaces, an innovation incubator lab for entrepreneurial empowerment and educational spaces for STEAM programming. The Center will meet a diverse breadth of
community needs, drive economic growth, and attract new, discovery-seeking visitors to
downtown Boca Raton.
Renzo Piano’s acclaimed firm, Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), will commence work in
late October 2023. The team plans to break ground in 2025, Boca Raton’s centennial year.
“Over the last five years, leaders in Boca Raton and the region have dedicated their time, effort and resources to make today’s historic announcement possible,” says Andrea Virgin, Chair & CEO of The Center. “The international interest and ultimate selection of one of the world’s greatest design architects underscores not only the global significance of this project, but the enormity of our supporters’ courage, vision, and generosity.”
First initiated in 2018, The Center was conceptualized to fill a 60-mile gap in creative
infrastructure along Florida’s Gold Coast. Its landmark placement at the north end of Mizner
Park, next to the Boca Raton Museum of Art, realizes the original vision of establishing a
cultural hub in Boca Raton’s downtown core, where 40 percent of the land was earmarked for
such a purpose—despite only portions of that initial dream becoming a reality.
SEP 6, 2023 • UNDER EMBARGO