Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

ASU Dedicates New Center for Planetary Health

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/28/22

Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., recently finished construction on the new Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7 (ISTB7). The 281,000-square-foot facility was dedicated as the Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health, and it will serve as a collaborative research facility for researchers in various disciplines to address health and sustainability issues regarding food, water and energy. The new space cost $192 million, and construction was done by McCarthy Building Companies, according to a news release.

The Walton Center for Planetary Health plays home to the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, the School of Sustainability, and the Institute of Human Origins—as well as a five-story atrium and space for public outreach and exhibits.

Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health
Photo courtesy of McCarthy Building Companies

“The unique mission of the programs serving this building called for a design and construction process with very high standards that reflect sustainability best practices in the built environment. The Walton Center for Planetary Health provides another shining example of the ongoing development of our research neighborhood on the Tempe campus,” said Dr. Morgan R. Olsen, ASU’s executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. “The project incorporates a myriad of sustainability features and creates a welcoming entry onto the northeast corner of campus and the multi-phased development of the Novus Innovation Corridor.”

The building’s academic spaces like labs, classrooms and offices are grouped around the building’s nexus to promote interdisciplinary collaboration. Building amenities include 70,000 square feet of wet and dry lab space, including dry labs for computing, engineering design and fabrication, cybersecurity, and robotics. Other research labs include those for biological sciences, engineering, life sciences and sustainability.

“As a gateway to the Tempe campus and being among the highest performing sustainable labs in Arizona, ISTB7 represents a legacy project for our team and partnership with ASU,” said Carlos Diaz, project director with McCarthy Building Companies’ Southwest Region Education Group. “By placing a top priority on collaboration, the ISTB7 team developed and implemented the best solutions on issues ranging from sustainability and historical preservation to budget and scheduling to complete and make this incredibly complex project a reality.”

The university also partnered with architecture firms Architekton and Grimshaw Architects.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.