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
| Jun 20, 2013
Virtual meetings enhance design of University at Buffalo Medical School
HOK designers in New York, St. Louis and Atlanta are using virtual meetings with their University at Buffalo (UB) client team to improve the design process for UB’s new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 12, 2013
More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations
More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.
| Jun 12, 2013
5 building projects that put the 'team' in teamwork
The winners of the 2013 Building Team Awards show that great buildings cannot be built without the successful collaboration of the Building Team.
| Jun 12, 2013
Sacred synergy achieves goals for religious education [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A renovation/addition project at Columbia Theological Seminary unites a historic residence hall with a modern classroom facility.
| Jun 11, 2013
Music/dance building supports sweet harmony [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A LEED Gold project enhances a busy Chicago neighborhood, meeting ambitious criteria for acoustical design and adaptability.
| Jun 11, 2013
Vertical urban campus fills a tall order [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Roosevelt University builds a 32-story tower to satisfy students’ needs for housing, instruction, and recreation.
| Jun 11, 2013
Building a better box: High-bay lab aims for net-zero [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Building Team cooperation and expertise help Georgia Tech create a LEED Platinum building for energy science.
| Jun 7, 2013
First look: University of Utah's ‘teaching hospital for law’
The University of Utah broke ground on its cutting-edge College of Law building, which will facilitate new approaches to legal education based on more hands-on learning and skills training.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
