Tooker House is a new 458,000-square-foot residence hall for engineering students at Arizona State University in Tempe.
The seven-story living and learning facility uses a desert color palette that will resist fading when exposed to strong daylight and incorporates durable materials able to withstand extreme ultraviolet rays.
It provides 1,582 beds for students, five staff units, and university offices. Other amenities: a 525-seat dining facility; a recreation center with student lounges, billiards and ping-pong; a fitness center with cardio machines and strength equipment, and a convenience store.
The design's minimal layering of materials enables engineering students living in Tooker House to observe the building’s inner workings.
A 3,500-square-foot maker lab has sliding glass walls that encourage activities to spill outdoors and showcase student work to passerby.
Mechanical room windows reveal the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and graphic signage explains the function of each piece of equipment.
To address solar heat gain, hundreds of perforated vertical louvers on the south façade are positioned to ensure maximum sunlight control.
Runnels in the landscape collect rainwater runoff from the roof and slowly release it into an underground cistern. The sunken outdoor activity area serves as a holding basin for major rainfall, as it lowly filters the water into subterranean storage.
The architect is Solomon Cordwell Buenz.
