A Vision Reborn
By K. Robert Wendel

Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright is long gone, but his designs continue to enthrall the public.

The latest incarnation of Wright's groundbreaking work is taking shape at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale.

There, a host of architects and contractors are recreating a spire originally planned for Arizona's Capitol in downtown Phoenix, along with a 129,000-sq.-ft. speculative office and retail space. The spire, office building and retail spaces are part of a larger, 87-acre development that includes retail and commercial space that is mostly built out.

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Future plans call for another of Wright's designs to be built as a visitor's center on the development's last pad.

"Frank Lloyd Wright used spires in a lot of his work as sort of an architectural exclamation point," said design architect Arnold Roy, a Taliesin architect and trustee with Scottsdale's Arnold Roy PLLC. "We are trying to carry that design forward and through the entire project."

General contractor McCarthy Cos. of Phoenix turned the project over to the Pederson Group, a developer based in Phoenix, in August.

The $25 million project takes its design cues from the spire, essentially a steel-framed pole that tapers to a point. A soft, blue acrylic is woven through the steel frame to give the spire the appearance of a natural element, rather than a man-made structure.

"I think if we had tried to build this in the 1950s or even the 1990s, it would have been built by a sculptor or artist," said project executive Jim Erhardt of Schuff Steel, the Phoenix firm that fabricated the spire. "It was just a picture that Mr. Wright came up with, so a small group of people had to sit down and figure out how to build it."

Schuff Steel welded thousands of miscellaneous pieces of steel together to create the 40-ton spire, which required two, 100-ton cranes to mount.

The spire's details echo throughout the entire project. An extensive amount of hardscape and landscape is used to create a friendly pedestrian environment between the shops, the office building and a large, 768-space, four-level parking garage. The hardscape is a combination of stained and cut concrete and pavers and reflects Wright's designs and sensitivity to nature.

The Phoenix office of Coreslab erected the precast concrete garage.

Other outdoor amenities include fountains and a small amphitheater. Hardy Laskin Landscape Architects of Phoenix designed the landscaping.

Tenant improvement work is already under way on the 129,000-sq.-ft. shell office space, which was built by McCarthy Cos.

The class "A" offices sit on a slab-on-grade foundation with a steel frame. Riggs Contracting performed the concrete work, using more than 11,000 cu. yds of concrete.
Schuff Steel supplied the frame with 320 tons of steel, and 480 tons of steel was used in reinforcement. Top Flite Erectors of Phoenix also performed some of the steel work.
"We looked at the structural system early on in design, and with the help of the general contractor, we determined that steel was the most effective structural system at that time," said architect Buck Yee, a principal and project director for DFD Cornoyer-Hedrick of Phoenix. "Typically, with a four-story structure, steel is more efficient than concrete."

The office building is geometric, with cantilevered overhangs that resemble trellises and jut out to provide shade. The angular building comes to a point in several places, further echoing Wright's design philosophy. High-end >> finishes such as granite column wraps and dry- stacked masonry complete the details. Extensive glazing employs special glass that is tempered to cut heat loads during the summer.

"They have a glass that is only made two times a year to help with the heat problems," said McCarthy project manager Mark Snider. "The Pederson Group has really spent some money to make this whole corner aesthetic."

On the interior, the building features 30- ft. by 30- ft. bays and uses two large chillers to cool the building. Roof top package units, rather than a central plant, provide heating and give individual tenants more control of their environment. Bel-Aire Mechanical performed the mechanical work with JFK Electric taking care of the electrical work. Both are Phoenix firms.

The new retail portion of the project consists of 60,000 -sq. -ft. of retail space with pads varying in size. Although the retail buildings look like a multistory project, all are single level with 14-ft.-high ceilings. They also take their design cues from Wright and the spire.

"The spire is the focal point of the entire development," said architect Larry Ellermann of Phoenix-based Ellermann and Schick Architects, which designed the retail component. "We wanted an upscale development where all of the different elements are coordinated into the overall design so that it really flows."

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