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Students give input on future downtown SRC
By Connor Radnovich, On Monday, May 2nd, 2011 |
Downtown students met with architects and ASU officials Friday to discuss the design of a student recreation complex to be built on the Downtown campus. (Katie Jo Mykleseth/DD)
Downtown students met with architects and ASU officials Friday to discuss the design of a student recreation complex to be built on the Downtown campus.
The $19.5 million building will be constructed directly next to the YMCA, less than a quarter mile from Taylor Place, where the parking lot owned by the YMCA is currently located.
Architecture firms SASAKI and Gabor Lorant Architects Inc. are working together to design the Downtown SRC building and will be using student input throughout the design process.
SASAKI is nationally and internationally known for designing facilities on university and college campuses, and has already worked on several projects in Arizona.
GLA is a local firm that has previously worked on projects for the Tempe campus, including renovations to some W.P. Carey School of Business buildings.
What makes the project on the Downtown campus unique is the speed by which the building will be constructed.
ASU project manager Timothy Keneipp said they want to be breaking ground by January 2012 and have the project completed by summer 2013.
This puts the opening of the center less than 15 months away. Keneipp said a typical project of this size usually takes about 26 months to complete from conceptualization to opening.
“It is possible, it’s just very difficult,” Keneipp said. “To anybody who likes a challenge, it’s fun.”
The two architecture firms were chosen less than a month ago, and a design is expected to be complete in about six weeks.
Keneipp said the entire design phase must be complete by Oct. 1 in order to ensure passage through various governing bodies, including the Arizona Board of Regents and City of Phoenix.
While the specifics of the complex design are not finished, there will likely be various multi-purpose gyms, locker rooms, exercise areas and an outdoor pool.
Michael Coakley, executive director of University Housing, said this project, as well as the $4.7 million renovation to the post office, could be “transformational for the Downtown campus.”
Funding for the SRC, as well as the renovations to the post office, came from the facilities fee that was implemented two years ago. The fee generated $110 million and that money was distributed to each campus to be used for various programs as decided by the specific campus.
Approximately $20 million was appropriated to each campus, however $24.2 went to the Downtown campus.
The other campuses, Keneipp said, are using their money for similar SRC projects.
Member of the facilities fee board Jessica Abercrombie said that, on the Downtown campus, there was a “steering committee” to decide where the facility fee money would be used. This committee was comprised of students from various organizations who asked their constituents what they wanted on the Downtown campus, in a non-academic fashion.
Abercrombie said students overwhelmingly wanted an SRC building and a “place to hang out.”
“We’re really fortunate as students to determine where the funding is going,” Abercrombie said.
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This is really confusing. Whats wrong with the YMCA for ASUs needs? That seemed like the sort of partnership with a Downtown organization that ASU should be trying to do more of, not less.
This SRC will go on the YMCA parking lot the article says which is a bit confusing. Do they mean the lot to the South of the Y? Or the lot West of the Y abutting 2nd Ave? If that parking lot is owned by the Y, I'm confused as to why they'd be letting ASU build a facility that competes with them on it. Maybe ASU & the Y's partnership will continue and this facility will just be sort of an expansion to the existing facilities.
Still it seems like $20M+ could've been spent on more pressing needs. Shouldn't the Downtown Campus of a University have you know...a library? I'm no expert but that seems to be the #1 thing ASU Downtown is missing.
Either way I hope this building is built in a thoughtful manner and keeps the possibility of the Taylor Pedestrian Mall West of 1st Ave alive. As it outlined in the Urban Form plan there needs to be a East-West Pedestrian path between Van Buren and Fillmore between 7th Ave and 1st Ave.
To me the most sensible place to start a path/mall like that is directly south of the Y, using the crosswalk there to connect to the park. Like so:
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