Building an identity: College Avenue Commons celebrates 10 years in business

In the summer of 2014, the College Avenue Commons building was unveiled on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus as the new home for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Ten years later, the building has distinguished itself as the premier venue for ASU football events, welcomes future ASU students to the Future Sun Devil Welcome Center and has become ASU’s central location for civic, environmental, sustainable and building technology and construction. management.

Designed, contracted and built by ASU alumni, College Avenue Commons is an investment in current and future Sun Devil engineers.

The School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment was founded in 2009 as part of the restructuring of the Fulton schools to consolidate resources and increase interdisciplinary collaboration. Matthew Eicher, the school’s assistant principal, says that before the building’s construction, faculty were spread across seven buildings and two campuses.

“Although we were called one school, it was not represented geographically until we moved to College Avenue Commons,” Eicher said. “Having a marquee for one of the best programs in the country is a powerful symbol.”

They recruited an entire ASU alumni team, consisting of Sun Devils of Okland Construction and architectural firms Gensler and Architekton. Professor Emeritus Edd Gibson, then director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and former director of the Del E. Webb School of Construction within it, remembers the first day of construction for the project.

“The entire construction management team was Del E. Webb graduates,” says Gibson. “They had brand new hard hats and vests, and they had such big smiles. I think they felt obligated to do a great job.”

Gibson credits the fundraising success to Fulton Schools Chief Development Officer Mike Remedi during the building construction process and the Del E. Webb School of Construction for their role in raising millions of dollars in needed funds.

“We had 82 separate donors for the building, so there were a lot of meetings and conversations,” Gibson says. “The day the Del E. Webb Foundation committed $2 million toward construction, we knew we were in good shape.”

A building for future builders

As a community of engineers, architects, educators and alumni, the Fulton Schools leadership team used its expertise to create a space that could support and anticipate the needs of the university.

“We wanted a space that made students feel like they had a home,” says Gibson. “We wanted a sustainable building that consciously mixed teachers, staff and students. We wanted a space that showcased construction and design techniques for didactic learning, and finally, we wanted a space that was flexible into the future, because we knew higher education would change over the years.”

The floor layouts are designed with intuitive routes and walkways, with windows at the end of each corridor, co-located bathrooms on each floor, academic advising close to classrooms and separate zones for classrooms and offices.

“Within five years of the building’s completion in 2014, the school’s enrollment had increased by 50%, we had doubled the number of faculty members and more than doubled our research expenditures,” says Gibson. “It (building) was very important in shaping the programs there today.”

The building is a manifestation of one of the core principles of the Fulton Schools: expanding technical education beyond the classroom. College Avenue Common’s construction methods are designed to showcase construction techniques.

“When you go into the hallways on the fourth and fifth floors and look up at the ceiling, you see the electrical line and just the precision with which it was built,” said Allan Chasey, professor emeritus of structural engineering at the Fulton Schools and former program chair at Del E .Webb School of Construction. “The design is intended to show students: ‘This is how it should be done.’”

Chasey says the building’s construction provided students with a rare educational opportunity.

“Some students graduated before construction was finished, but those same students got to see the entire process,” he says. “We were able to show our students around at virtually any time so they could see what it’s like to build a building.”

‘Sticky Spaces’ orchestrate organic collaboration

The school wanted a building that matched the objectives of the faculty. The open layout and abundance of seating create a plethora of places for people to gather and hang out, known as “sticky spaces.”

The idea is that sticky spaces support student development and social interactions. Having a physical space to gather and connect helps students establish roots in the tech community.

“We knew there needed to be an open space where students could interact and meet before and after class to study,” Eicher said. “We’ve just done that down to the last detail in this space, and when you walk around you can see it. Our students don’t have to camp out for a coffee table.”

Creating communal, academic and industrial spaces next to each other also exposes students to possible paths ahead. Eicher says the space is intended to accommodate student spontaneity by strategically placing opportunities, noting that College Avenue Commons is one of the few affiliated buildings on campus that can house career fairs and regularly hosts industry professionals.

In 2023, College Avenue Commons hosted representatives from more than 150 companies at various events – and the building’s atrium is no exception. With stacks of bleacher-style seating, a large video wall, and two-story floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a conjoined patio, the atrium is a hotspot for events and gatherings.

“We wanted a space that could have multiple uses, and it was much more successful than I expected,” says Gibson. “When we were in our old location, I hardly ever saw students, but from the first day we opened the new building, students took advantage of the spaces we designed for them.”

The open plan on the fourth and fifth floors is designed to encourage interaction and filter sunlight through the building, creating a welcoming atmosphere to reduce insulation.

“We wanted to make sure no one could hide,” Eicher jokes. “I can be on the third floor and wave to someone on the fifth floor. Much of the design is recognized, accepted and accessible within this community. It’s another way we build those great casual interactions.

Cementing future opportunities

Design choices in College Avenue Commons have set the standard for many of the new buildings rising on ASU’s campuses – from office sizes to the addition of skateboard racks and atriums.

Gibson says that, aside from ASU, building features such as multi-story atriums, desert-inspired architecture, locally quarried rock and treatments that take into account an abundance of sunlight have become more popular in Phoenix-area architecture over the past decade.

While welcoming a new era of architectural design at ASU, the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment has transitioned to a new era of education with additional degree programs to prepare students for careers in the built environment. College Avenue Commons is the flagship location for keeping students in the field engaged in developing interdisciplinary skills and connections.

Ram Pendyala, the current director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, recognizes and appreciates the efforts of those who have shaped the school into what it is today.

“College Avenue Commons provides a sense of place for scholars, staff and students to come together in pursuit of a common vision: creating resilient and thriving communities of tomorrow,” said Pendyala.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants whose dedication and contributions have turned this vision into a tangible reality, creating a place where ideas flourish and futures are forged.”