Arizona State University Manzanita Hall

Project Details

Project Description

Designed by the firm of Cartmell and Rossman in 1967, the 15-story Manzanita Hall was, for a time the tallest building in Arizona and the first, extensive use of post-tensioned concrete construction in the state. With its characteristic curved façade and unique, triangular precast structure, the dormitory is an icon on the Arizona State University Tempe campus. After 40 years of housing and over 40,000 students, the residence hall was in poor condition and needed a complete renovation. The design objectives for the project included maintaining the iconic nature of the building, incorporating ACUHO-I 21st Century Project tenets (Community, Flexibility, Innovation, Technology and Sustainability), and updating building systems in order to bring the building up to a standard competitive with new student housing projects. The renovation reworked the ground floor and public spaces of the building, connecting the main lobby to a major campus pathway by tilting the ground plane and providing a shade canopy drawing people up to the main building entry. Outdoor amenity spaces includes a social deck, lawn, volleyball and basketballs courts and are bordered by a stepped social terrace and shade canopies providing enhanced connections with the main, public level of the building. The original building was designed as a 1,000 bed dormitory made up of paired room suites with no communal or shared space. The project includes the creation of double height lounges to promote social interaction and include private study rooms, laundry, kitchen, and social spaces. The pre-cast triangular frames are perhaps the building’s most innovative and defining characteristic. One of the key moves in the renovation was the decision to replace the exterior walls system with a floor-to ceiling panelized system set back from the pre-cast triangular frames, enhancing the visual impact of the frame, improving the thermal performance by enhancing the self-shading qualities of the original design. The project recently received featured in Architectural Record and has received the National AIA-SCUP award. Associate architect on the project was Solomon Cordwell Buenz.