A new multi-story building that will house food, water, and energy sustainability research has received funding approval from the Arizona Board of Regents.
The planned structure, officially called the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology 7 building, will go up on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University at the intersection of University Drive and Rural Road.
Work on the $192 million, triangle-shaped building could begin either later this year or early next year, with a hoped-for completion date of January 2022.
The structure has been in the talking and planning stage for the last two years.
The building will also uniquely feature balconies looking out over what is called an atrium biome populated with trees and bushes.
School officials have said that building materials used for the new structure will be designed to absorb carbon and convert it into nutrients that can be used to enrich the site’s soil.
Sewage from the building will be treated and recycled via a low-energy, bio-based system transforming it into greywater.
School officials say that the 258,000 square foot structure will serve as a gateway to the school’s growing Tempe campus.
Designed by the firm of Grimshaw Architects, which has offices in Los Angeles, the new building will also have lab space for biological sciences, engineering, and life sciences research.
By Garry Boulard
