Located in downtown Phoenix, the new six-story, 225,000 sqf, 110-foot tall, LEED Silver building has become an integral part of the fabric of ASU’s energizing downtown campus and a harbinger of Phoenix’s redevelopment. Delivered in a design-build, fast-track method, work began on design in October 2006 and the school opened its doors in August 2008, 22 months later. School schedules and budgets were both met. Project description and images after the break. Ground floor retail spaces and ample shaded arcades foster outdoor seating and café life. The main entrance to the structure is under a three-story high “front porch” facing the civic space, and includes a large, scrolling, electronic news ticker highlighting the most current headlines. Immediately adjacent to one of the stops on the newly completed Phoenix Light Rail and numerous bus stops, the Cronkite School allows students, teachers and professionals to arrive by public transportation. Parking capacity on the campus has been deliberately limited to encourage this. The building’s main entry fronts onto ‘Taylor Mall’ – an urban green belt that runs the full length of the downtown campus. This fosters community connectivity that places student housing, the new downtown Phoenix Civic Space, Student Union and Arizona Center Mall all within easy walking distance. In addition, many of the School of Journalism’s functions on upper levels, including the Cronkite News Service, are oriented toward and have open terraces overlooking Central Avenue, allowing the students and faculty to consistently be part of the bustle of downtown.
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