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

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • Design Firm Populous Acquires Fentress Architects

    Design firm Populous, which specializes in sports and entertainment venues, recently announced its acquisition of Fentress Architects, based in Denver, Colo., according to a news release. Fentress’ primary focus is aviation projects and public buildings like museums, convention centers, and government facilities

  • Tennant Company Launches Autonomous Floor Scrubber

    Cleaning equipment and solutions provider Tennant Company recently launched the new X6 ROVR, a mid-sized robotic scrubber designed for large commercial and light-industrial environments, according to a news release. The autonomous machine can clean up to 75,000 square feet peer cycle with minimal needs for manual assistance.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

Digital Edition