The first phase of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s effort to transform Taliesin West into a net-zero energy-use facility has been completed, while construction on energy efficiency improvements continue. A new 250-KW solar photovoltaic power system, donated by Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar Inc., was commissioned this week on the 75-year-old National Historic Landmark architectural campus. The endeavour, dubbed Energizing Taliesin West, was sparked during an energy audit of the 500-acre property in early 2011 by Phoenix-based consultant Big Green Zero. It found that Taliesin West’s energy bills could be reduced by 51% via relatively inexpensive energy efficiency improvements to lighting,
The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona awarded an $82-million contract to Henderson, Nev.-based Tutor Perini Building Corp. to construct the new Vee Quiva Casino & Hotel. Located in Laveen—just outside of Phoenix—the project will include a new 70,000-sq-ft casino and a 90-room hotel. Construction is expected to start in June. Related Links: Read about Gila River's previous project, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino The new casino will be built just to the south of the existing Vee Quiva Casino, which will remain operational until the new project opens in summer 2013.“Rebuilding Vee Quiva Casino is part of a
This week marked a major milestone on the $1.5-billion PHX Sky Train project, as Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton sent Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s new automated train on its first official—albiet short—journey on Monday. Photo courtesy Sky Harbor The PHX Sky Train performed its first short test run on Monday on track running between the East Economy Station and the maintenance facility. Photo by Scott Blair Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised Sky Train as the key to future success at Sky Harbor Airport. “Built during the worst economy since the Great Depression, this project has put a lot of people to
Five straight years of revenue declines for the Southwest's top design firms have taken a toll. Design revenue from projects located in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico for the top 70 survey respondents fell another 19% to $817.7 million in 2011, compared with the previous year. But many firms began laying the groundwork to jump out of the gate once design work picks up—and in some market sectors, it already has. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 70 Design Firms Ranking Design Firms Ranked by State & Market Sector The year "2011 was another ... where our revenues were lower than
Mel Lawson LAWSONwas appointed mining principal at Stantec's Tempe, Ariz., office. Lawson's 40 years of industry experience include a concentration in underground/surface mining operations and project and construction management. He has 20 years of experience in senior operations and project management. Prior to joining Stantec, he served as the owner's engineering manager for a multibillion-dollar international mining project and most recently served as vice president for project development at a North American copper project. He is a graduate of Michigan Technological University and has a degree in mining engineering. Related Links: ENR Southwest Post Your Own People Announcements In the
At SmithGroupJJR's Phoenix office, design excellence and sustainability are synonymous. The office has been responsible for 11 LEED-certified projects and has 12 more pending, but the firm's design philosophy has also brought some of the same sustainable features that SmithGroupJJR would employ on a LEED-Platinum project—high-performance building envelopes, energy modeling, daylight analysis and natural ventilation—to most of their other projects.. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 70 Design Firms Other Top Southwest Firms "I joke with clients [that] if you don't want a sustainable building, you're going to get one regardless because that's who we are and how we think about
The City of Mesa and Chicago Cubs this week announced plans to break ground on their new spring training baseball facility on July 11. The stadium will become the western headquarters for the Chicago Cubs. In addition, the City and Cubs are in final stages of an agreement that will make the complex the new home for the Arizona State University baseball program. Image courtesy City of Mesa The new spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz. will provide space for 15,000 fans. Image courtesy City of Mesa The stadium design features shaded seating. Arizona State University is in
The team behind several successful adaptive reuse projects will partner once again to create a new restaurant in an iconic piece of Phoenix architecture history. Located along North Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix, the former First Federal Savings & Loan Bank, designed by the regional mid-century modernist architect Alfred Newman Beadle, will be converted from offices to dining space by Phoenix-based developer Upward Projects, with the Phoenix office of Shepley Bulfinch as the design firm. The building has remained relatively intact over the years, and the design team plans on keeping it that way. "The bones of the structure are in excellent condition," says Ryan
A new retail property under way near Phoenix acquired an anchor tenant. Phoenix Premium Outlets, which broke ground two weeks ago in Chandler, Ariz., will be home to a Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH store and approximately 90 other high-end retail shops. Image courtesy Architects Orange The 90-store Phoenix Premium Outlets will feature nine primarily tilt-up concrete structures housing approximately 360,000 sq ft of leasable space. Phoenix-based contractor Kitchell is building the 360,000-sq-ft project for Simon Property Group, an Indianapolis-based real estate developer with 57 similar outlet malls in the U.S. and 70 worldwide. Located on 50 acres of land
