Taylor Place takes shape downtown

November 07, 2007

The latest piece of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus was revealed Nov. 1 with a celebration marking the development of Taylor Place, an innovative residence hall under construction.<separator></separator>Slated to open during fall of 2008, Taylor Place represents a public-private partnership first conceived three years ago that is nearing completion. That type of schedule and synergy is representative of the cooperative spirit exhibited by ASU, Phoenix, the Arizona Board of<separator></separator>Regents and partners such as Capstone Development Corp., developers of the project. And the end result will present a “fantastic opportunity” for students to live and learn in the heart of downtown Phoenix, says ASU President Michael Crow.<separator></separator>“This is our first urban residence hall setting of any size and significance,” Crow says.<separator></separator>Taylor Place’s first phase features a 13-story tower with 744 beds at the site between First and Second streets on Taylor Street. An additional 550 beds in a second tower are scheduled to open by the fall of 2009. Both towers cover 366,500 combined square feet.<separator></separator>The building’s design encompasses many features that provide comfort, entertainment, fitness options and safety for students living on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus.<separator></separator>“Exterior bridges will link the two towers,” says Bruce McKee, executive vice president of on-campus development for Capstone Development Corp.<separator></separator>Bridges connecting the towers will include exterior rooms that give each floor their own outside porch-like space for students.<separator></separator>First-floor features include about 10,000 square feet of retail shopping for students and the public. Dining facilities open to a ground-level shade garden that covers about 4,000 square feet.<separator></separator>Other building features include cast-in-place concrete in an aluminum skin construction, with details such as a glass element that runs the full height of the building, enclosing the student lounge on each floor and serving as a beacon when it is illuminated at night from the inside.<separator></separator>Amenities also include a fitness center, a second-floor roof terrace that overlooks the shade garden, a 24-hour security desk, and a corner park at First and Taylor streets.<separator></separator>Combined with other downtown projects, such as the new Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication building under construction, a planned second College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation building, the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative building No. 1, the<separator></separator>University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University and a community Civic Space, the Downtown Phoenix campus is expanding at a rapid rate.<separator></separator>And the state will benefit as a result. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon cited the importance of having an educational center in the downtown area at the development celebration.<separator></separator>“Education is the key to our future,” Gordon said at the event.<separator></separator>The Downtown Phoenix campus’ student government president, Aaron Davis, says he’s excited watching the evolution of the new campus, and he’s looking forward to the day when there are more students, more beds and more involvement downtown.<separator></separator>“I’m excited to see our campus continue to grow,” Davis says.

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