Executive Summary by Catherine Spellman
Team
Catherine Spellman, Associate Director, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA)
Alisha Rompre, SALA, Student
Jyoti Jain, Student, PhD Program
Zubin Shroff, Faculty Associate, SALA
Milagros Zingoni, Faculty Associate, SALA
Partners
DMJM Design
Gilbane/Ryan
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
Maricopa County Facilities Management Committee
Maricopa County Facilities Review Committee
Pinnacle One
Project Description
In summer 2006, PURL became involved in ongoing discussions about the development of a master plan for the Maricopa County Campus, located on sixteen blocks in downtown Phoenix. Maricopa County, which encompasses the Phoenix metropolitan region, is the fourth most populous in the United States (pop. approximately 3.2 million) and one of the fastest growing. In the next few years, the county is planning to renovate existing facilities and construct a new office building; the goal is not only to provide needed space for various county functions—including administrative offices and courtrooms—but also to create an urban campus with a strong sense of place and to contribute to the renewal of downtown Phoenix.
Current and future developments in downtown Phoenix include an entertainment and residential district, an emerging biotechnology campus, the new ASU Downtown Campus, a new light rail system, and the revitalized State Capitol Mall. The county campus is centrally positioned in relation to all these projects; it has potential to be the connector of much urban activity. Our charge was to think strategically about the future of the county campus within this larger downtown context and to provide direction in the early stages of the master planning. These discussions were complementary to ongoing work on a new county office building being designed by the Phoenix office of DMJM Design.
Our early research concentrated on macro-scale issues, including site history, environment, climate, location, and infrastructure. We then undertook a detailed study of downtown Phoenix, focusing on vehicular and pedestrian flows, residential and commercial developments, existing and proposed land uses, public spaces, and infrastructure.
Located in the Sonoran Desert, where summertime temperatures can approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the county campus confronts the challenge—and the opportunity—to provide sustainable, habitable public spaces. Designed thoughtfully, such spaces could incorporate regional vegetation and green materials to create landscapes and plazas that would set a new standard for cool, shaded outdoor spaces in a desert city. Our initial design recommended the creation of an “urban oasis” along Madison Street, one of the city’s major east-west arteries and the spine of the county campus. The oasis would accommodate a series of public places under a large-scale shade structure that incorporated climate-control technologies. Most recently, the county has expanded upon the oasis concept, suggesting that it might also feature a series of public art projects that would take the U.S. Constitution as a theme.
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