ASU Polytechnic Buildings

Mesa, Arizona

The ASU Polytechnic Buildings Project consists of three buildings in the Arizona desert, totaling 251,000 SF and containing three primary schools; The School of Agribusiness, School of Science and Technology, and The School of Education and Humanities. The facilities include offices, classrooms, wet and dry teaching laboratories, a blackbox theatre, art gallery, painting and drawing studio, a conference center and a separate Haz-Mat building. Primary materials consist of masonry, weathered corrugated steel siding and glass. The structural system is an exposed steel frame that is celebrated in the atria. Each building elevation employs a particular strategy towards protecting itself from the elements and engaging the site, while integrating many strategies to reduce energy, water, and waste burdens on the campus.

Sustainable Strategies

• Brownfield remediation restored the land that was the former site of Williams Air Force Base (previously contaminated with solvents, petroleum, hydraulic fluids, pesticides, and radiological wastes)

• Drought tolerant plantings were used with shading schemes to maximize vegetation and minimize the heat island effect

• The Project restored an open space three times larger than the building footprint

• High R-value insulation, daylighting strategies, and permanent monitoring systems were installed to minimize energy use

• No new parking was added within the boundary of this LEED project

Project Results

• LEED for New Construction GOLD level achieved

• 67% site restoration with native plantings

• 32% energy cost savings above ASHRAE 90.1-1999 energy standard

• 43% savings of potable water for domestic uses

• 79% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill