Desert Design: ASU's unique architecture
Coor Hall, Tempe campus Text fragments and letterforms, etched on the glass façade of Lattie F. Coor Hall, are one of the largest public art projects on campus. Chicago artist BJ Krivanek, commissioned by project architects Gensler and Jones Studio, selected letters from several languages, as well as numbers and punctuation marks, to represent the universal potential of language. The building is named in honor of ASU's fifteenth president, Lattie F. Coor Hall was officially dedicated and opened on January 7, 2004.
Ross-Blakley Law Library, Tempe campus The John J. Ross-William C. Blakley Law Library, built in 1993, was designed by the Atlanta architectural firm of Scogin Elam and Bray and built by the architectural firm of Leo A. Daly Company. It is recognized as an architecturally significant building and has received numerous honors, including the Arizona Chapter of the Arizona Institute of Architects's 1994 Honor Design Award. The library is named in honor of two prominent Phoenix attorneys, John J. Ross and William C. Blakley, who graduated from the ASU College of Law in 1971.
Life Sciences Center, Tempe campus The Life Sciences E Wing, also known as the Life Sciences Tower, built in 1992, is the newest part of the Life Sciences Center complex. At one time the tallest building in Tempe, the wing is capped by a rooftop greenhouse.
Hayden Library, Tempe campus The Charles Trumbull Hayden Library serves as the main library on the ASU Tempe campus. Built in 1966. The five-story building was designed by the architectural firm of Weaver and Dover in a "pavilion" style. The library is named for Charles Trumbull Hayden, founder of Tempe and first president of the board of the Arizona Territorial Normal School.
J. Russell and Bonita Nelson Fine Arts Center, Tempe campus Built in 1989, the Nelson Fine Arts Center honors J. Russell Nelson, ASU president from 1981-1989, and his wife, Bonita. The design, by architect Antoine Predock, won the 1989 American Institute of Architects Honor Award. The center houses the Galvin Playhouse and the ASU Art Museum.
Music building, Tempe campus Known affectionately as the "birthday cake building," the Music Building is home to the ASU School of Music. Constructed in 1970, the building has eight levels, three of which are underground. Wesley Peters, Frank Lloyd Wright's son-in-law, designed the building, which is a neighbor to Lloyd Wright's Gammage Auditorium.
ASU Gammage, Tempe campus ASU Gammage, considered by many to be the crowning jewel of ASU’s Tempe campus, is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last designs. Wright designed the building to be as acoustically perfect as possible. Constructed in 1964, the building is named for Grady Gammage, the legendary ASU president who led Arizona State College’s victorious campaign in the state legislature for a name change to Arizona State University in 1958.
Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 3, Polytechnic campus Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 3, Polytechnic campus The construction materials for ISTB III were composed of 25 percent recycled content and the building has earned a LEED Gold rating. It serves as research facility that supports the Applied Cognitive Sciences Institute, Healthy Lifestyles Institute, Applied Biological Sciences and the Arizona Biodesign Institute.
Paley Gates/Fletcher Library, West campus “The Paley Gates” were designed by artist Albert Paley, who has revived the art of architectural metalwork in the construction of a ceremonial gate. Behind the gates stands the Fletcher Library. The library was dedicated in 1988 honor of the Robert L. Fletcher family whose gift of property resulted in an endowment for the perpetual support of the library. It was the first building completed on the West campus and soon after received an Honor Award, the top recognition of design excellence from the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.