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Bennington College Student Center
Plaza Building
Dr. Marie Kane Student Services and Administration Building, Chaffey College
Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons, Loyola University
The Lavin-Bernick Center for Student Life, Tulane University
MIT PDSI
Syracuse University, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Newhouse III
Woodbury University Architecture Studio Building
Yale University Sculpture Building GalleryArizona State University ISTB 1
Perkins+Will creates a LEED-Gold lab facility for a fast-growing campus in the Valley of the Sun.
In 2002, shortly after becoming president of Arizona State University (ASU), Michael Crow announced his plan to transform the institution into a research powerhouse. His thinking: Build great facilities, and world-renowned scientists will follow. The school swiftly embarked on a campaign to construct 1-million-square-feet worth of research space. As part of this boom, the university commissioned Perkins+Will to design the first of five Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Buildings. The 175,000-square-foot ISTB 1 was to house a mix of researchers, from bioengineers developing medical devices to entomologists studying honeybees.
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ISTB 1 was to be inserted into the campus core, on a rectangular site bordering a busy street, and it needed to include research labs and support space, offices, and meeting rooms — a fairly straightforward brief. It also had to accommodate a 25-foot-tall nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, used to examine molecules.
A layout that fostered collaboration was essential, as was flexibility, given that new discoveries could necessitate the reconfiguration of interior spaces. In addition, the building needed to respond to the harsh desert climate, and to achieve at least a LEED Silver certification. Concerns about rising construction costs also played heavily into the $58 million project.
The architects aimed to create a highly pragmatic facility with sculptural flair. Given that labs typically are “insular,” they also wanted to make the building “part of the life of the university,” explains Ralph Johnson, FAIA, design principal.
Formal name of project:
Arizona State University ISTB 1
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Gross square footage: 175,000 sq.ft.
Completion Date: January, 2006
Total construction cost: $58 million
Owner: Arizona State University
Architect:
Design Role:
Perkins+Will
330 N Wabash Ave.
Suite 3600
Chicago, IL 60011
Executive Role:
Perkins+Will
617 W Seventh Street
Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90017
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