In Phoenix, the Arizona State University (ASU) has constructed its Health Futures Center—expanding the school’s impact as a research institution emphasizing medical technology acceleration and innovation, entrepreneurship, and healthcare education.
Designed by CO Architects in collaboration with DFDG Architecture, the ASU Health Futures Center is a multidisciplinary home for medical tech innovation, research, education, and conferencing. CO designed the building to allow spaces to function in multiple ways, encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations. It’s located on a newly developed site for the university’s growing biotech presence near the Mayo Clinic Phoenix.
The Health Futures Center is the first building to be constructed as part of the almost 20-year Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care collaboration. CO master-planned the new 24-acre campus on previously undeveloped desert land, then programmed and designed the three-story facility for ASU’s College of Health Solutions, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, as well as shared programs with Mayo Clinic.
The $80 million, 145,200-square-foot building includes research laboratories, simulation suites, workspaces, and instructional rooms. The light ecru exterior was designed for the desert heat, with windows angled to face northward on both the east and west facades, minimizing solar heat gain. The center offers views of the McDowell Mountains to the east and central Phoenix to the south.
The building’s conference center features a double-height auditorium with 278 fixed seats arranged in a circular configuration, with the capacity for up to 320 in an in-the-round configuration. Audio, video, and lighting elements allow patrons to view dynamic visual presentations from wherever they’re seated.
On the building team:
Owner: Arizona State University
Design architect: CO Architects
Architect of record and executive architect: DFDG Architecture
MEP engineer: Affiliated Engineers (AEI)
Structural engineer: Advances Structural Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: DPR Construction
![ASU Health Futures Center int](/sites/default/files/inline-images/ASU%20Health%20Fututres%20Center%20int.jpg)
![ASU Health Futures Center patient](/sites/default/files/inline-images/ASU%20Health%20Futures%20Center%20patient%20.jpg)
![ASU Health Center Futures meeting](/sites/default/files/inline-images/ASU%20Health%20Center%20Futures%20meeting.jpg)
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | May 4, 2021
New proton therapy center will serve five-state region in Midwest
NCI-designated facility an addition to the University of Kansas Health System.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 30, 2021
Registration and waiting: Weak points and an enduring strength
Changing how patients register and wait for appointments will enhance the healthcare industry’s ability to respond to crises.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 29, 2021
HDR selected to design new Cancer Hospital in Shaoxing
Nature is at the heart of the project’s design.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 16, 2021
UCI Medical Center Irvine to break ground in mid-2021
Hensel Phelps + CO Architects design-build team were awarded the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 13, 2021
California’s first net-zero carbon emissions mental health campus breaks ground
CannonDesign is the architect for the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 4, 2021
Behavior mapping: Taking care of the caregivers through technology
Research suggests that the built environment may help reduce burnout.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 25, 2021
The Weekly show, Feb 25, 2021: When healthcare designers become patients, and machine learning for building design
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors speak with AEC industry leaders from BK Facility Consulting, cove.tool, and HMC Architects about what two healthcare designers learned about the shortcomings—and happy surprises—of healthcare facilities in which they found themselves as patients, and how AEC firms can use machine learning to optimize design, cost, and sustainability, and prioritize efficiency protocols.
Market Data | Feb 24, 2021
2021 won’t be a growth year for construction spending, says latest JLL forecast
Predicts second-half improvement toward normalization next year.
Sponsored | Biophilic Design | Feb 19, 2021
Stantec & LIGHTGLASS Simulate Daylight in a Windowless Patient Space
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 18, 2021
The Weekly show, Feb 18, 2021: What patients want from healthcare facilities, and Post-COVID retail trends
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors speak with AEC industry leaders from JLL and Landini Associates about what patients want from healthcare facilities, based on JLL's recent survey of 4,015 patients, and making online sales work for a retail sector recovery.