Arizona State University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7, completed in December 2021, was constructed with numerous innovative sustainability elements.
The building team worked to support ASU’s carbon neutrality by 2035 goal. It took a holistic approach to sustainability and carbon neutrality on all decisions, according to GC McCarthy Building Companies. The result is a building with an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) that is roughly 50% below baseline.
The $192 million, 281,000 sf, high-performance research facility fosters an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge generation and leading-edge research, including the sustainable use of food, water, and energy. Labs include spaces for biological sciences, engineering, life sciences, and sustainability, as well as dry lab space for computing, cyber-security, engineering design and fabrication, and robotics.
Notable sustainability features include:
- 42-foot architectural columns elevate the building entrance, creating significant shade areas and positioning the building to capture wind for natural ventilation.
- Radiant cooling system combines chilled beams, chilled ceilings, and chilled sails, providing comfort for occupants and supporting low-flow ventilation.
- Water efficiency strategies include: Use of Arizona’s Salt River Project non-potable canal water on the site’s landscape; water-saving drip irrigation and “smart” irrigation controls; hardscape designed so all rainfall conveys to planting areas; and the capture of mechanical system condensate water to irrigate plants.
- A 40% fly ash concrete mix that met structural integrity measures and provides a consistent aesthetic finish.
- First building in Arizona to use BubbleDeck, a void form structural deck system that uses a patented integration technique linking air, steel, and concrete in a two-way structural slab, resulting in less concrete and a lighter structure and foundation system.
- Inspired by self-shading pleats of the Sonoran cactus, the exterior skin takes shape in large GFRC rainscreen panels over a prefabricated building envelope. Skin sensors installed around the exterior track heat transfer throughout building’s lifecycle.
The structure now serves as the gateway to the Arizona State University Tempe campus and faces one of the busiest intersections in the Metro Phoenix area. The building will house Global Futures, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, School of Sustainability, and the Institute of Human Origins, in addition to public outreach and exhibit space. The building will also include classrooms and a conference center with a 389-seat presentation hall.
Owner and/or developer: Arizona State University
Design architect: Architekton l Grimshaw
Architect of record: Architekton l Grimshaw
MEP engineer: BuroHappold Engineering
Structural engineer: BuroHappold Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: McCarthy Building Companies
Sustainability Consultants: Thornton Tomasetti
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Aug 20, 2018
More districts are reusing empty offices, stores, and other buildings to upgrade their schools
Older schools, with their small windows and rooms and creaky infrastructure, are tough and expensive to retrofit.
Education Facilities | Aug 14, 2018
Making schools more secure is imperative, but how best to do that isn't settled yet
In the first 21 weeks of 2018 alone, there were 23 school shootings where someone was killed or injured, according to CNN.
Education Facilities | Aug 13, 2018
Is STEM running out of steam?
Has STEM, which the business community urged school districts to embrace, been oversold as a career path?
Education Facilities | Aug 7, 2018
High-tech instruction space trains students in manufacturing robots
Harley Ellis Devereaux served as lead designer and lab planner for the project.
Modular Building | Aug 2, 2018
Educare Center in Long Beach uses modular construction to cut costs without sacrificing space or amenities
Dougherty was the Architect-of-Record.
Education Facilities | Jul 11, 2018
Why school architects must understand how students learn
Would instruction be more effective if students spent less time passively listening to lectures and more time actively learning through activities, discussions, and group work?
Education Facilities | Jul 6, 2018
Building for growth: Supporting gender-specific needs in middle school design
Today, efforts toward equity in education encompass a wide spectrum of considerations including sex, gender identity, socio-economic background, and ethnicity to name a few.
University Buildings | Jul 5, 2018
Brown University’s Engineering Research Center increases the university’s School of Engineering lab space by 30%
KieranTimberlake designed the facility and Shawmut Design and Construction was the general contractor.
University Buildings | Jul 2, 2018
Columbus State Community College’s new hospitality management and culinary arts building breaks ground
DesignGroup is the architect for the project.
Education Facilities | Jul 2, 2018
California High School renovates classrooms to meet the resurgence of Career Technical Education
Tangram Interiors handled the remodeling project.