It Takes a Village

By K. Robert Wendel

The first section of a new academic village that's part of Arizona State University's plan to construct a learning and creative district at the Tempe campus should be ready for next fall's freshman class.

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Crews from CORE Construction started work on the $90 million project in February, with plans calling for the construction of seven new buildings to house 1,928 beds. The first phase of four buildings will open in Fall 2006.

The project is divided into two phases, with masonry crews from Sun Valley Masonry placing a combination of regular CMU and burnished block to create four, four-story buildings. Sitework is under way on phase two of the project, which consists of a seven-story building.

Plans call for a July 2007 completion on the second phase.

The Village, at ASU's Tempe Campus will provide approximately 585,600 sq. ft. in three distinct components: residential space of approximately 508,800 sq. ft.; academic space of approximately 57,400 sq. ft.; and service/retail space of approximately 19,400 sq. ft. when fully completed.

The facility includes five classrooms primarily for freshman courses in math and English. There also are faculty offices and a Learning Resource Center for tutoring and small study groups.

In the service/retail building, plans call for five restaurants with a 400-seat dining area along with a convenience store.

The residential space is clustered around a two-story lounge with a glass curtain wall that allows access to an exterior courtyard.

"The RFP from the university asked for 'signature architecture to define a live/learn environment," said architect Krista Shepherd at Gould Evan's Phoenix office. "The focus of the design has been to establish a variety of spaces that allow the students to experience campus life."

There are courtyards and quiet areas throughout the project were students can settle in for some studying and central lounges where the students can interact.

The project is part of the school's freshman year experience, which incorporates academic support and faculty involvement in a centralized location. School officials said that studies show that students who live on campus the first two years are more likely to feel a connection with the university and successfully complete their education.

"McAllister Academic Village is designed with the concept that learning takes place 24/7," said Juan Gonzales, ASU vice president for student affairs. "This is the first of many steps ASU will be taking to provide students with superior housing and help them succeed academically."

The project is just one of many new initiatives by ASU president Michael Crowe to create a "world class" university and research center. Other projects under way at ASU in Tempe include the Bio 2 project, the Sun Devil Energy Center and the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building.

The Village project is being constructed under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines, with plans calling for a basic LEED certification.

"We are getting a lot of LEED points from design and the materials we are using," said Mark Murphy, CORE Construction project manager. "Right off the bat we started recycling all the trash, and when we ripped up the parking lot we sent the asphalt to a plant for milling."

Other LEED features include the use of fly ash in the concrete, a limited use of paint and carpet to cut volatile organic compounds and an extensive use of natural daylighting.

The project uses a variety of building systems. The four-story buildings use masonry and concrete hollow-core planks for flooring, while the seven-story building is a combination of precast concrete, block and 5-in. post-tensioned decks.

The ceilings are exposed concrete and much of the block is exposed. Exterior courtyards feature a combination of block and EFIS.

The units are divided into two, two-bedroom suites that share a common toilet and shower. Each two-bedroom unit relies on a vertical fan coil for heating and cooling, and there is a sink in each unit.

CORE Construction built a mockup of the rooms to work out any issues before the installation of fixtures and equipment.

"This is like building a motel, so if you make one mistake, you times that by the number of rooms you have, which could get ugly," said CORE project superintendent Rick Sharp. "The mockups help remove the kinks from the design."