New facilities focus on enhancing university experience
The five-story University Gateway Building, situated on the western edge of the Tempe campus along Mill Avenue, houses various programs from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts including music, music therapy, art, animation and photography. Photo by Emma Fitzgerald/Arizona State University
Arizona State University continues to meet the growing demand for academic and housing facilities on campus as part of its annual construction scope of more than 150 capital projects — a nearly $400 million investment — during the spring, summer and fall 2024 semesters.
New buildings on the Tempe and West Valley campuses have sprouted up as Facilities Development and Management and its industry partners work to enhance ASU’s built environment. In addition to the new structures, upgrades were made to outdoor spaces, classrooms and labs.
“These new facilities reflect our unwavering commitment to advancing the ASU Charter. By providing state-of-the-art spaces, we aim to attract and support students, faculty and staff while also enhancing the vibrancy of the surrounding community,” said Tim Smith, ASU Facilities Development and Management vice president. “Throughout the planning, design and construction of these facilities, our focus has been on creating purpose-built, sustainable spaces that will serve our community for decades to come.”
Below are details about several recently completed construction projects.
Wilson Hall
This new five-story facility replaces the old Wilson Hall, which originally opened in 1956 as a residence hall on the Tempe campus.
The approximately 178,000 gross-square-foot facility provides needed classroom, collaboration, instructional and office space to support the growth of academic programs.
The new building in the heart of campus adds 19 state-of-the-art classrooms with customizable balcony space.
The unique exterior design — three upper floors overhanging the bottom two — creates shaded walkways around the perimeter. An open “canyon” on the ground floor allows pedestrian traffic to flow through without entering the building.
University Gateway Building
Another addition to academic and office space graces the western edge of the Tempe campus along Mill Avenue. The five-story University Gateway Building houses various programs from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts including music, music therapy, art, animation and photography.
The facility hosts state-of-the-art darkrooms, creative makerspaces, an e-sports lounge, large computer labs and 3D printing technology. The building also supports sound research, sound labs, stop-motion and motion capture studios.
The streetscape of Mill Avenue at the ground level offers restaurant and retail space for the ASU community.
Casa del Valle
The growing West Valley campus has a new residence hall with the completion of Casa del Valle, a four-story facility with academic and core-support spaces for students.
The building provides 507 beds for undergraduate students with modern rooms, outdoor common areas and interior amenity spaces that support student activities.
Garden Commons
The second phase of the Garden Commons, an initiative aimed at reconnecting students with sustainable food production and urban agriculture, was completed this fall.
Key features of the upgrades include additional raised planters, a quiet garden space with seating around a water feature, and an event space complete with overhead lighting and outdoor tables and benches.
Novus Innovation Corridor
The Novus Innovation Corridor, a 355-acre mixed-use, public-private partnership on the Tempe campus, continues expanding with retail and residential spaces.
- Vero, a 199-unit multifamily community in the heart of Novus Place, provides housing close to ASU athletics facilities and entertainment options.
- New restaurant openings within Novus Place include Eureka! Restaurant, Nautical Bowls, Starbucks and Over Easy. Three Fox Restaurant Concepts — Flower Child, North Italia and Blanco Cocina & Cantina — are expected to open in early 2025 with a surrounding urban park.
Additional work
- The Facility for Open Research in a Compressed Environment Lab housed within Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 2 officially opened its doors, representing a significant advancement in ASU’s research capabilities, focusing on high-pressure material science. The FORCE Lab incorporates four unique high-pressure presses that enable diverse and groundbreaking experiments.
- The Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium field renovation completed this summer includes new turf to improve the playing conditions for athletes and the overall spectator experience.
- The La Sala Ballroom and lobby area on the West Valley campus, along with several classrooms across all ASU campuses, received updates in 2024 to include new carpet, paint, furniture and audio-visual upgrades.
- In addition to many large capital projects, Facilities Management completed over 200 infrastructure projects — electrical, paint and maintenance — during the summer, totaling over $4 million.
Future openings
Three new buildings are scheduled to open in 2025.
- A 55,045 gross-square-foot academic and office building at the West Valley campus, adjacent to Casa del Valle, is expected to open in spring 2025 and provide new computer labs, drawing labs, faculty offices, student gallery space and future growth spaces.
- The seven-story Mill Avenue student housing building with approximately 828 residence hall beds, student dining, classroom and office spaces, and indoor-outdoor common areas is anticipated to open in 2025 to house undergraduate students in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
- The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 on the Polytechnic campus will provide office, meeting, instructional, research and collaboration spaces. The facility is scheduled to open in 2025, providing a home for the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering’s new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and several university classrooms.
Learn more about ASU’s past, present and future construction projects and follow Facilities Development and Management on X (formerly Twitter) at @ASUfacilities.
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