School staff along with professionals from McCarthy and SmithGroup signed the ceremonial final beam, which was then hoisted into place atop the structure. Photo Credit: McCarthy Building Companies
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Major Science Building Project Tops Out at ASU

By Eric Althoff

笔贬翱贰狈滨齿鈥Designer SmithGroup and general contractor McCarthy Building Companies have reached a construction milestone on the $185 million Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12) at Arizona State University鈥檚 (ASU) Polytechnic campus, located in the eastern Phoenix neighborhood of Mesa. As the Polytechnic campus continues to develop as part of the Innovation Research District adjacent to the main campus, personnel from the school, along with professionals from McCarthy and SmithGroup, signed the ceremonial final beam, which was then hoisted into place atop the structure.

When completed, the 173,194-square-foot ISTB12 will be a home for innovation and instruction in such fields as robotics, semiconductor research, energy and cyber manufacturing, and operations research as part and parcel of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering鈥檚 new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. ISTB12 will be home to office spaces, meeting areas, collaboration space and various laboratories.听

鈥淭he ISTB12 facility will propel the advancement of the most sophisticated technologies to benefit our students, faculty and researchers,鈥 Tim Smith, ASU鈥檚 facilities development and management interim vice president, said at the topping-out ceremony. 鈥淭he facility will allow our students to gain hands-on experience for jobs of tomorrow that will feed the advanced manufacturing taking place in the East Valley and metro Phoenix area.鈥

McCarthy鈥檚 team has worked on the concrete, plumbing and steel components as part of the project construction docket. This work utilized prefabricated materials including multi-trade corridor racks that were assembled offsite before being installed at the jobsite. McCarthy has also taken advantage of prefabricated backer panels to enclose the structure, as well as a unique Unistrut system cast into the slab itself. This helped to keep the project on schedule despite some ongoing supply chain issues.听

鈥淥ur collaborative project team, which includes four summer interns preparing to be next-generation construction professionals, has been working hard to build ASU鈥檚 next state-of-the-art facility that will serve as the home of industry-leading research and education of professionals in one of the world鈥檚 most critical sectors,鈥 Carlos Diaz, project director for McCarthy Building Companies, said of his company鈥檚 work on ISTB12. 鈥淭he topping out signifies our team safely achieving a significant milestone and the project entering its next phase.鈥澨

Sustainability elements at ISTB12 include rainwater collection to reuse for site landscaping in dry Arizona as well as solar-ready infrastructure. ASU is aiming for LEED Gold certification.听

Working with McCarthy are such subcontractors as E&K of Phoenix, KT Fabrication, Comfort Systems USA, Wilson Electric, Western Building Group, Climatec, MGC Millwork and Pete King. SmithGroup鈥檚 design partners include Wood Patel Associates and PK Associates.

鈥淲e are committed to executing ASU鈥檚 vision for this project鈥檚 successful delivery,鈥 said Diaz. 鈥淲e look forward to a strong completion in late summer 2025.鈥澨