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Florida's First Smart District: Water Street Tampa Features Technology at the Forefront

September 2, 2021 | Realcomm Staff
5 min read
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Water Street is burgeoning as Florida's first smart district. It is a connected, urban, multi-use project on the waterfront that spans 56 acres and include nine million square feet of new commercial, residential, educational, entertainment, cultural and retail space with a total investment exceeding $3.5 billion. Strategic Property Partners (SPP), a full-service commercial real estate development firm focused on innovation and creating high-quality and experiential places, is changing the future of downtown Tampa with their development of Water Street Tampa.

This entirely new kind of urban community is designed to deepen people’s interactions with the cityscape, the natural environment and each other, and embraces well-being and outdoor living. Walkable streets connect homes, offices, shops, and hotels – all along an accessible waterfront.


The project's state-of-the-art communications infrastructure makes city life feel seamless, with publicly accessible 5G Wi-Fi and a mobile platform for reserving everything from parking to personal services and amenities. The urban layout is designed for ultimate accessibility and freedom of movement. Every street and every space at Water Street Tampa is thoughtfully designed to support health and well-being.



Building a Connected City

Whitespace, a building technology advisor that provides expertise in digital master planning, low-voltage design, and construction administration and commissioning, is working with SPP to ensure the appropriate technology, which is at the forefront of this smart district, is in place to support their current initiatives and future proof to anticipate innovations to come.


The project's technology initiatives include:


  • Experiential Marketing Center. An experiential, immersive Marketing Center was built to showcase the project and Tampa market. The impressive 16' 3D-printed scale model of the district and surrounding areas of downtown Tampa is equipped with a fully interactive experience that includes real-time 3D views, a state-of-the-art 360-degree projection mapping system, and data visualizations powered by Unreal Engine. It's the first augmented reality project of this type and scale ever created.

  • WELL design. Water Street Tampa is setting a global precedent for community wellness by being the first pre-certified neighborhood in the world under the  WELL Community Standard through the International Well Building Institute (IWBI). Designed from the ground up with wellness in mind, Water Street Tampa intends to positively impact the health and well-being of people who live in, work in and visit the neighborhood. Improved air quality and access to alternative methods of transportation and healthy foods are just a few factors at the core of the project's WELL-based design.

  • Sustainability. From LEED Neighborhood Development certification to a focus on harmony with the native landscape, Water Street Tampa supports a foundational commitment to communal responsibility and environmental sustainability.

  • Distributed Antenna System (DAS) / Small Cell coverage. A thoughtfully planned DAS and Small Cell network seeks to improve cellular service and capacity in public spaces and buildings throughout the neighborhood.

  • Cybersecurity / data governance. The district is focused on cybersecurity and data governance to ensure internal security and the security of tenants, residents and guests.

  • Communication corridor. A multi-conduit fiber duct bank provides conduits for owners, carrier, network providers and future use — a significant way to “future proof” the development’s master plan.

  • Ubiquitous and pervasive Wi-Fi. With a universal and pervasive Wi-Fi network, residents, tenants and guests experience seamless connectivity – no more multiple sign-ins or dropped service! A secure and open network architecture allows for current and future IoT devices as well as an Emergency Management Portal for tenant, resident and guest notifications.

  • Smart light poles. You may see a light pole but look closer… these sophisticated technology assets throughout the district also extend cellular service and connect to emergency management platforms. Equipped with sensors and cameras, the smart light poles augment physical security while providing vital information on energy consumption and analytics that drive business decisions.

  • Kiosks and digital signage. Kiosks and digital signage enhance the tenant, resident and guest experience by providing wayfinding, directory and interactive entertainment applications. These state-of-the-art signs are also technology assets as they house sensors that provide information to enhance safety and efficiency throughout the district.

  • Building Management System (BMS). A master BMS controls and manages all building systems and data across the district. This system provides a unified platform for naming conventions, control, resolution and analytics and, ultimately, providing the foundation for energy-efficient and cost-saving decisions.

  • Security. Through a diverse set of technology assets, the district has the ability to visually monitor activities through cameras and interpret sound, air quality and even population density through sensors that are tied to a central command center. This live data enables timely and responsive communication with local authorities.

  • Charging stations. As electric cars are more prevalent than ever, charging stations are no longer a “wish list” item, but a necessary response to tenants’, residents’ and guests’ growing need for them. Water Street Tampa’s first phase has been built with over 100 charging stations and the infrastructure to add more as the district evolves, a clear message of SPP’s commitment to sustainable and efficient energy.

  • Smart parking. Through its integrated mobile parking app, the district will leverage technology to provide parking inventory management system, dynamic pricing and real-time analytics ¬to assess traffic patterns for local events, foot traffic to optimize surrounding inventory, parking utilization and efficiency.

  • Smart waste management. Why would anyone want to “track their trash?” With smart waste management technology, a district becomes more efficient with its resources – namely money and people. Equally important, smart waste management syncs with Water Street Tampa’s call for sustainability to reduce our environmental impact.

  • District Cooling. The District Cooling facility produces and distributes cold water, providing sustainable air conditioning to the Water Street Tampa neighborhood. This innovative facility frees up rooftops that would normally be occupied by air conditioning equipment, leaving space for rooftop amenities and green space, while reducing the amount of electricity and water used throughout the community.


Watch the Water Street Tampa progress in real time.




Learn more about this and other smart building projects, buildings, campuses, districts and portfolios at the Smart Building Best Practice Showcase at Realcomm | IBcon which will be held on Nov. 2-3 (Golf Outing: Oct. 31 | Precon: Nov. 1) at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. Register today!


Realcomm Staff
Realcomm Conference Group LLC is the leading research and educational institution that produces annual conferences and expositions on technology, automated business solutions and intelligent buildings strategies for executives in commercial, corporate, government and institutional real estate. Realcomm was founded in 1999 with the goal of bringing industry leaders together each year to discuss, demonstrate and debate the latest innovations that impact the industry.

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