- Burnett School College of Medicine
Thanks to a 40-foot illuminated sign, the UCF Health Sciences Campus is now visible across Medical City, from State Road 417 – and even from planes flying overhead.
The College of Medicine held an official lighting ceremony for the sign at dusk on December 1. Before the light was switched on, Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the medical school, talked about the incredible growth of Medical City since she began work as the College of Medicine’s sole employee on December 1, 2006. She recounted how Orlando’s new medical school as the cornerstone of an emerging Medical City “was just a dream” and the land mere cow pasture, a far cry from the vibrant growth happening today. Because of that growth, “we need a sign so people can tell which building is ours,” she said, before announcing, “Let’s light up UCF.”
At 40-feet long, the sign is actually six individual parts, including a 13-foot-long Pegasus. LED lighting means the sign uses 50 percent less energy than incandescent lighting. The sign, which hangs on the front of the Burnett Biomedical Sciences Building, was created by architect Schenkel Shultz, Clancy & Theys Construction Company and AC Signs.
Ben Rogers, project manager for Clancy & Theys, said work crews placed a crane on the Burnett School roof and began installing the sign at 6:30 in the morning and didn’t finish until after 8 p.m. that night. Rogers saw the results of his work from the air as he flew out of Orlando International Airport November 26 for Thanksgiving. “I just happened to be on the right side of the plane to see it,” he said. “It was awesome.”
Johnnie Lohrum, the project architect for Schenkel Shultz, said he was honored to work with a team “to help create an identity for this wonderful campus.”