With newspapers around the country under threat of closure, this is an inauspicious time to open a new school of journalism building. But Los Angeles–based architect Steven Ehrlich says that this climate helped the design and construction of Arizona State University’s new Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in downtown Phoenix: Time and budget constraints forced it to be built quickly, efficiently, and simply. But the design team was able to innovate considerably within—and because of—these constraints. Facing busy Central Avenue, the 223,000-square-foot project gives the school five times more space than its former home at ASU’s Tempe Campus, and includes extensive classrooms, lecture halls, newsrooms, and multimedia facilities—and even contains television studios for local PBS channel Eight/KAET.
Ehrlich Architects worked closely with a design/build team that also included Sundt Construction and HDR Architecture. The close integration of designers, builders, and, subsequently, consultants allowed the team to begin pouring foundations five months after the initial commission and to deliver the project within 20 months. The relationship, and the fact that the whole team was working in Revit also helped the team get the best value for all materials, and limit change orders, value engineering, and other common money and time suckers. The total construction cost for the huge project was only $55 million (roughly $246.50 per square foot, including all expenses, paid for with bond money secured by the city of Phoenix).
The design of the building itself—from structure to materials—is, as Ehrlich puts it, “a lot of ambition within a simple envelope.” The structure’s mass is a basic box, but it’s broken down into varied, interconnected pieces that encourage collaboration and organize a wide variety of uses. Its first major component is a six-story, poured-in-place concrete structure, based on a standardized 30-foot column grid, containing the school’s newsrooms, computer labs, classrooms, and auditoriums. A central, triple-height space called the Forum is ringed above with balconies and additional rooms. On top of the concrete base the team placed a 32-foot-high steel frame box, whose lofty, column-free spans leave adequate space for KAET’s television studios, production and control rooms, and offices. The building’s boxy exterior is broken up by a glazed ground floor frontage for retail and restaurants, a large, inset third floor terrace, and a glazed three-story canopy on the southwest side that cuts into the envelope, creating a three-story “front porch,” says Ehrlich, that welcomes visitors.
While the façade’s materials palette is simple, dominated by glass, metal, and concrete, its arrangement is anything but. The upper section’s corrugated metal is painted with a choppy, gradient pattern of colors—copper, iron oxide, and terra cotta—inspired by the tones of the surrounding desert and by the FCC’s radio spectrum chart. It’s a visual “launching point,” says Ehrlich, that breaks down the scale of the building. The lower portion’s varied forms reflect its eclectic program while performing important functional roles. A continuous band of windows on the south and west façade’s, shielded with projecting louvers and, to the west, by a thin layer of stainless steel mesh, allows light deep into the building and demarcates school offices. A high-performance glass curtain wall sits on the north side of the building, fronting multiple classrooms. And perhaps the best example of what Ehrlich calls the building’s “honesty in expression” is a row of satellite dishes on the south side of the roof.
“I’m energized by this building,” says Ehrlich, who is especially proud of his firm’s ability to “use familiar products in a different way.” He adds: “It’s a new way of thinking.” And one we will all have to get used to in this financial climate.
Project Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
Location Phoenix
Client Arizona State University
Design Architect Ehrlich Architects, Los Angeles—Steven Ehrlich (design principal); Thomas E. Zahlten (principal-in-charge); Mathew Chaney (design project architect); Patricia Rhee (design architect); Charles Warner Oakley (programming); Amy Pokawatana (interior design)
Executive Architect HDR Architecture—Michael Jackson (principal-in-charge); Howard Shugar (senior project manager); Jon Griffin, Brian Oliver (project architects); Tamra Wagner (interior design); David Gibney (sustainable design)
Design/Builder Sundt Construction–C. Terry Abair (project director); Kent Bosworth (senior project manager); Jeff Kemper (general superintendent); Kent Gabrielson (senior project engineer); Ray Baker (preconstruction manager); Erica Stanley (senior estimator)
Size 223,000 square feet
Cost $55 million
The Spec List
Structure
Cast-in-place concrete and post-tensioned concrete • Sundt Construction • sundt.com • Circle 175
Structural steel framing • Schuff Steel • schuff.com • Circle 176
Masonry • Western Block • westernblock.com • Circle 177
Exterior Cladding
Corrugated metal panels • Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp. • mtlsales.com • Circle 178
Aluminum composite flat panel • Alucobond • alucobond.com • Circle 179
Horizontal aluminum sunshades • KT-Fabrication • ktfab.com • Circle 180
Vertical stainless steel mesh sunshades • GKD Metal Fabrics • gkdmetalfabrics.com • Circle 181
Lighting
Finelite • finelite.com • Circle 182
Columbia • columbialighting.com • Circle 183
Kim Lighting • kimlighting.com • Circle 184
Prescolite • prescolite.com • Circle 185
DM Lighting • dmlighting.com • Circle 186
Sistemalux • sistemalux.com • Circle 187
Moser pendant fixture • Louis Poulsen • louispoulsen.com • Circle 188
Alkco • alkco.com • Circle 189
Pinnacle • pinnacle-ltg.com • Circle 190
Belaro reflector fixtures • Beta Calco • betacalco.com • Circle 191
Luminaire • luminaire.com • Circle 192
HVAC
Air handler units • McQuay •
mcquay.com • Circle 193
Air handler units • Huntair • huntair.com • Circle 194
Windows And Glazing
Glass curtain wall and shadow box windows • KT-Fabrication • ktfab.com • Circle 195
Exterior glazing • Viracon • viracon.com • Circle 196
Exterior glazing • Oldcastle Glass • oldcastle.com • Circle 197
Horizontal blinds • Hunter-Douglas • hunterdouglas.com • Circle 198
Finishes
Rittenhouse Square ceramic wall tile, cove base tile • Daltile • daltile.com • Circle 199
Wall base • Roppe • roppe.com • Circle 200
Plastic laminate for elevator cab • Formica • formica.com • Circle 376
Plastic laminate • Pionite • nevamar.com/pionite • Circle 377
Plastic laminate • Nevamar • nevamar.com • Circle 378
Countertop • Avonite • avonitesurfaces.com • Circle 379
Roofing
Single-ply membrane roof • Sarnafil • sarnafil.com • Circle 380
Public Art
Custom solar chimney and illuminated art wall • Vox Manufacturing/Paul Deeb • voxarts.com • Circle 381
Signage
Exterior signage • Fluoresco Lighting and Signs • fluoresco.com • Circle 382
Interior signage design • JRC Design • jrcdesign.com • Circle 383
Interior signage fabrication • Smithcraft • smithcraftsigns.com • Circle 384
Storage
Universal • Steelcase• steelcase.com • Circle 385
Mailmaster • REI • datumfiling.com • Circle 386
Paints
Interior paint • Sherwin-Williams • sherwin-williams.com • Circle 387
Seating
Leap, Cachet, Think, Scoop, Sidewalk, Max Stacker chairs • Steelcase • steelcase.com • Circle 388
Lancaster auditorium seating • KI • ki.com • Circle 389
Edge chair • Cabot Wrenn • cabotwrenn.com • Circle 390
Retrospect seating • Carolina Business Furniture • carolinabusinessfurniture.com • Circle 391
Enea seating• Brayton • brayton.com • Circle 392
Furniture
Diekman tables • Brayton • brayton.com • Circle 393
Werndl systems furniture • Vecta • vecta.com • Circle 394
Display cases • Peter Pepper • peterpepper.com • Circle 395
Nexus casegoods • Krug • krug.ca • Circle 396
E-Table conference table • Vecta • vecta.com • Circle 397
Answer, Currency, Montage, Post and Beam systems furniture • Steelcase • steelcase.com • Circle 398
Vertical Transportation
Passenger and service elevators • Thyssen-Krupp • thyssenkrupp.com • Circle 399
Doors
Exterior aluminum door system • KT-Fabrication • ktfab.com • Circle 400
Interior doors • Eggers Industries Inc. • eggersindustries.com • Circle 401
Aluminum door frames • Western Integrated • westernintegrated.com • Circle 402
Door locks and levers • Best • best.com • Circle 403
Door locks and levers • Stanley • stanley.com • Circle 404
Flooring
Raised access flooring • Tate Access Floors • tateaccessfloors.com • Circle 405
ESD vinyl tile • Staticworx • staticworx.com • Circle 406
Monologue modular carpet tile • Mohawk • themohawkgroup.com • Circle 407
Asphalt modular carpet tile • Shaw Contract • shawcontractgroup.com • Circle 408
Geometry modular carpet tile • Interface • interfaceflooring.com • Circle 409
Keystone ceramic tile • Daltile • daltile.com • Circle 410
Grout • Mapei • mapei.com • Circle 411
Gridline walk-off grille • C/S Group Products • c-sgroup.com • Circle 412
Azrock vinyl composition tile • Tarkett • tarkett-commercial.com • Circle 413
Rave vinyl composition tile • Armstrong • armstrong.com • Circle 414
Rubber flooring • Roppe • roppe.com • Circle 415
Bathroom Fixtures
Toilet partitions • Accurate Toilet Partitions • accuratepartitions.com • Circle 416
Plumbing fixtures • Sloan • sloan.com • Circle 417
Plumbing fixtures • Kohler • kohler.com • Circle 418
Ceilings
Dune square lay-in ceiling tiles • Armstrong • armstrong.com • Circle 419
Optima plan ceiling tiles • Armstrong • armstrong.com • Circle 420
Linear wood ceiling • 9wood • 9wood.com • Circle 421
Full span corridor ceiling tiles • Tectum • tectum.com • Circle 422
Technology
Video switcher, cameras, plasma and projection screens • Sony • sony.com • Circle 423
Teleprompter • Autoscript • autoscript.com • Circle 424
Camera support systems • Vinten • vinten.com • Circle 425
Camera support systems • Sachtler • sachtler.com • Circle 426
Television graphics system • Chyron • chyron.com • Circle 427
Building intercom system • Clearcom • clearcom.com • Circle 428
Wall multiprocessor systems and video signals • Evertz • evertz.com • Circle 429
Building signal distribution system • Grass Valley • grassvalley.com • Circle 430
Digital archive system • EVS • evs.com • Circle 431
Audio mixing and radio station controls • Studer • studer.com • Circle 432
Weather graphics system • Weather Central • wxc.com • Circle 433
