Located in Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood, the Autonomous Innovation Center serves as the operations and maintenance hub for the city’s Ultimate Urban Circulator (U²C) program, supporting autonomous electric shuttles with maintenance bays, charging infrastructure, and a command-and-control floor. Designed as a transparent, future-focused facility that complements its historic surroundings, the two-story building was constructed entirely with total-precast concrete to accelerate the schedule on a tight urban site and reduce on-site trade presence.
Precast concrete also enabled large openings, high ceilings, and flexible future expansion for a potential skyway connection, while providing a modern industrial aesthetic with exposed gray concrete and red metal screening. The project’s insulated precast panels deliver high performance and durability, while supporting sustainability goals such as reduced HVAC demand and improved thermal comfort. Construction began in April 2024 and was completed in just one year, with the total-precast structure erected in only 14 days.
