ASU completes $42M in facilities upgrades over summer

A new academic year brings a host of new buildings and significant facilities upgrades to the Arizona State University community. During summer break, ASU Facilities Development and Management completed 60 projects totaling $42 million of investment across all campuses.

“Summer is our busiest time of year from a building renovation and construction perspective, and this summer was no exception,” said Bruce Nevel, Facilities Development and Management associate vice president and chief facilities officer. “I encourage the ASU community to take notice of some of our newest buildings and renovated classrooms and lab spaces.”

New Tempe campus buildings this fall are Tooker House, the Student Pavilion and Sun Devil Stadium’s Student Athlete Facility. At ASU’s West campus, a state-of-the-art educational facility was unveiled as the new home for the Herberger Young Scholars Academy. Facilities Development and Management also made improvements to classrooms, laboratories, offices and grounds across ASU’s campuses.

Tooker House

This $120 million, 450,000 gross-square-foot, state-of-the-art residence hall for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering includes fully furnished rooms with 1,600 student beds, a 525-seat dining facility, recreation and fitness centers, student lounges and academic success space. The fully Wi-Fi-accessible facility also includes the following notable amenities:

• a new Amazon Echo Dot in each room, which represents the first voice-enabled, learning-enhanced residential community on a university campus

• Bluetooth-connected washers and dryers that notify students when cycles are complete

• collaborative maker space environments, including access to 3-D printers

• a beautiful courtyard with outdoor pavilions and covered terraces

Student Pavilion

The 74,653 gross-square-foot Student Pavilion was designed as a Net Zero Energy building, which means it uses no more energy annually than can be produced on site. The building’s sustainable elements include:

• chilled-beam and indirect evaporative cooling

• energy-efficient office, classroom and kitchen equipment

• exterior shading of windows and walls

• LED and energy-efficient lighting

• roof solar-ready for future photovoltaic installations

• Zero Waste strategies

The building hub is a new 1,200-seat event space for guest lecturers, musical shows, comedy acts and student productions. At the center of student traffic and activity near Hayden Library and the Memorial Union, the Student Pavilion houses office space for student government and organizations, university classrooms and other academic functions.

Sun Devil Stadium – Phase 2

Construction concluded this summer on the new Student Athlete Facility embedded in the stadium’s north end, club-level premium areas on the stadium’s west side and a massive video board.

• The Student Athlete Facility is equipped with offices, training facilities, locker rooms, counseling space, a players’ lounge, meeting rooms and other amenities to support Sun Devil athletes.

• The west side club level features air-conditioning, televisions, lounge areas and many other conveniences for fans, including food and beverage service.

• The new video board (seen in top photo) on the north end is 47 feet high and 113 feet wide and is among the 10 largest video boards in college football. The board will showcase replays, statistical updates, graphics and videos.

Phase 3 work on the stadium’s east side begins immediately after the 2017 football season and will lay the groundwork for a facility capable of hosting sporting, academic, and community events and programs throughout the year.

Herberger Young Scholars Academy

This 19,500 gross-square-foot building provides new, purpose-built program space for the Herberger Young Scholars Academy, designed for gifted students in grades 7–12. The ASU West campus building includes state-of-the-art classroom space and a maker space to enrich the teaching program. The building is linked to a dedicated landscaped area that provides opportunities for outdoor teaching and relaxation. The new facility was made possible through the charitable support of Gary and Jeanne Herberger.

Mall updates

Cady and Orange Mall improvements are among the first implementations of the Tempe Campus Hardscape Master Plan. These mall updates are significant to this program, as it sets the standard for future phases.

• Cady Mall now provides additional campus monuments at key points along the Tempe campus perimeter. This includes two campus identification monuments flanking Gammage Auditorium on Apache Boulevard and Mill Avenue as well as a new ASU Charter monument sign at the entry to Cady Mall near University Drive. These Cady Mall additions provide photo opportunities for students and visitors and strengthen the beauty and identity of the Tempe campus.

• A revitalization and extension of Orange Mall delivers an ecologically sustainable pedestrian walkway. The mall was designed to create a sustainable environment and green infrastructure that manages wet-weather impacts. The extension also provides an event space for the Student Pavilion and serves as an ASU community social gathering spot. Seating and a shaded palm court offer visitors an enjoyable outdoor space.

Additional capital projects

• Palm Walk rehabilitation concluded its second and final phase this summer with the replacement of 68 failing fan palms with new date palms, located between University Drive and Orange Street. The date palms will grow to a maximum height of 80 feet and deliver more shade for pedestrians and fruit for the university’s annual date harvest.

• Tempe campus Memorial Union renovations provide building enhancements and improvements for greater student accessibility and experiences. Renovations consist of approximately 13,000 gross-square-feet in lower-level improvements, which include a feature staircase installation from the first level to the lower level, meditation space, student recreation space, and collaboration and meeting areas. The project also includes restroom facilities modernization, a new elevator and floor tile throughout, as well as functional improvements to the facility.

• The Sun Devil Fitness Complex field on the Tempe campus received 151,100 gross-square-feet of new sod.

• Palo Verde East and West residence halls received updating in the elevators with new cabs, machines and controls. Roofing also was replaced around the perimeter of the mechanical penthouses.  Additional work is planned on these halls following the current academic year.

• Phase IV of Access Management continued to address conflicts among pedestrians, bicycles and cart vehicles on Tempe campus malls, and included:

- installation of bike valet shade canopies, additional bike racks, bike share racks, skateboard docks and cart parking
- new landscaping, screen fencing, benches, bike signage and site lighting

Classroom and laboratory renovations

The summer provides a brief prime opportunity to upgrade and refresh heavily-used classroom facilities, and this summer was no exception:

Tempe campus

Increased the capacity of two lecture spaces in Business Administration C Wing for W.P. Carey School of Business. Classrooms include all new finishes, updated audio/visual systems and improved accessibility features.

• A mid-size auditorium in College of Design North enjoys increased occupancy, new auditorium seats, finishes, LED lighting, an audio/visual package and improved ADA accommodations.        

• A large auditorium in the Bateman Physical Science H Wing includes all-new finishes, fixed auditorium seating, updated and upgraded LED lighting and audio/visual packages, as well as improved overall occupancy and accessibility features.

• A new traditional classroom was created in Computing Commons, including a new separate collaboration area for study.

• 2,400 gross-square-feet of classroom space in Coor Hall received improvements.

Downtown Phoenix campus

• 3,477 gross-square-feet of newly-leased space became three new classrooms and one small seminar space

• Updated furniture in an existing large, flat-floor classroom in the Arizona Center created a new active-learning classroom.

• First and second floor renovations at Grant Street Studios accommodate additional studio spaces, a print work area and photo dark room.

Polytechnic campus

• Sacaton Hall received two new classrooms, a new teacher resource room and staff restrooms.

• Two old classrooms converted into one 3,120 gross-square-foot active-learning classroom with all new finishes, furniture, an LED lighting package and an audiovisual system with distance-learning capabilities. 

West campus

• A new media-enhanced lab with multiple workstations and collaboration space was added to Sands Classroom and Lecture Hall.

• Two computer classrooms also were converted to teaching laboratory spaces in the Classroom/Lab/Computer Classroom (CLCC) Building.

These completed projects are only a part of the ASU capital projects now in some phase of planning, design or construction. These ongoing projects include Biodesign Institute Building C construction, Greek Leadership Village, renovations of Armstrong and Ross-Blakley Halls, and a new building for the ASU Polytechnic Preparatory Academy High School, among others.

Morgan R. Olsen, ASU executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer, noted that this large volume of work completed in such a narrow window is critical to the ongoing success of the university and its people. 

“Congratulations and a thank you are in order for the many ASU personnel in FDMFacilities Development and Management and beyond, as well as our contractor, vendor and design professional partners, who made it possible to achieve all these great outcomes that advance the university in so many important ways,” he said.

Learn more about ASU’s past, present and future construction projects and follow Facilities Development and Management on Twitter @ASUfacilities.

Top photo by Anya Magnuson/ASU Now