Sun Devil Fitness Complex Tempe Renovation and Expansion, Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ
Construction Cost: $24.5 million
Area / Square Feet: 93,000 SF (new) + 20,000 SF (renovation
Occupancy Date: August 2013

The Sun Devil Fitness Complex renovation and expansion creates a new gateway into Arizona State University’s Tempe campus while providing an extensive new student recreation and lounge space. Located adjacent to the existing student recreation building, the expansion includes five new basketball courts, a fitness center, a wellness center, lounge and gaming areas, and a MAC for indoor soccer and field hockey.

The building’s stacked forms create unique views, provide areas for shaded public space, and allow views of the many mixed-use activities. Three of the five basketball courts are located on the second floor, with large windows providing views of the surrounding ASU campus. The MAC has floor-to-ceiling glass windows opening views to adjacent campus roadways, while an outdoor passageway under the second-floor gyms provides a gateway for students entering campus from the south.

Durable fiber cement panel rainscreen cladding creates a dynamic facade that is both highly energy-efficient and complementary to the local context. The project, which is tracking LEED Platinum, features desert-appropriate design strategies — including deep overhangs and louvers to shade all exterior glass — a cementitious rainscreen cladding system and rooftop solar-thermal and photovoltaic systems. These components together contribute to a 70 percent reduction in energy use intensity.

Judge's Comments

"The powerful massing both respects the context and climate, while also making a striking modern gesture." — James Braam

"Interlocking masses provide a strong architectural composition that is sensitive to the original building form and solar orientation." — Anita Moran

"Dynamic and bold exterior architectural geometry that summons one to enter and explore." — Tom Poulos