'Vital' Phoenix Hotel Breaks Ground

The $350 million Sheraton will offer 1,000 rooms and meeting space which will complement the new Phoenix Convention Center expansion.

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel Breaks Ground

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and the City of Phoenix announced the start of construction on the new 1,000-room hotel in downtown Phoenix. Located one block from the new convention center, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel will provide more than 80,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, making it an ideal venue for groups. The Sheraton will stand 360-ft. high with 31 floors and will provide street vibrancy and connectivity with its ample views into the hotel's restaurants, lobby, and ballrooms.

The publicly financed hotel is scheduled to open in late 2008 and will be managed as a Sheraton, Starwood's most global hotel brand. The $350 million dollar project is considered vital to the $600 million dollar expansion project of the Phoenix Convention Center.

The exterior colors of the hotel will include red and gold hues signifying the connection to the desert landscape as well as sculpted shading louvers on the south face of the building. The hotel will boast a 15,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, and a nearly 30,000-sq.-ft. senior ballroom. Also included will be an additional 28 meeting rooms for a total of 80,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Additional guest services include an outdoor pool and meeting area, a street-level restaurant featuring al-fresco dining, a 6,500-sq.-ft. fitness center and spa, as well as an outdoor patio deck running the length of the building, shaded by date palm trees.

Miami, Fla.-based Arquitectonica, with RSP Architects of Arizona, designed the hotel.

Perini Building Company was reportedly selected as general contractor.

Sustainable Design for East Valley Bus Facility

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new East Valley Bus Maintenance Facility was recently held. Owned and operated by the City of Tempe, the facility will include 75,600 sq. ft. of maintenance space, 7,100 sq. ft. of fuel and wash space, and 19,650 sq. ft. of administration and operations space, and will serve as a base for a 250-bus fleet.

Designed by the team of RNL and Maintenance Design Group, the facility will be one of the largest and one of the first in the U.S. to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be certified at Gold level for the administration building with the remainder of the project certified at the Silver level. The project is expected to be completed in 2007.

Water conservation is a key consideration for design. At full capacity, the 250 buses at the facility will be serviced and washed daily. The 25-acre complex situates the publicly accessed administration/operations building at the east end of the site with a large, curved spine canopy structure defining the public plaza and entry.

The maintenance building and other facilities are located within a secured yard. The design incorporates sleek metal panels and tilt-up stained concrete panels in reference to the buses and transportation functions housed there.

Recognizing the site's proximity to Sky Harbor airport, the buildings are defined by large, curving roof structures, providing a clean roof plane.

Daylight spines and curved roof volumes open towards the north, and are complemented by the extensive use of curved tensile fabric at the bus canopies, bus shelter and other locations.

Groundbreaking for The Park at SanTan

The Park at SanTan, a $25 million high-end suburban mixed-use facility designed to compliment the highly successful San Tan Corporate Center, has broken ground.

The office project is located along the fast-growing 101 Corridor at Ray Rd in Chandler and includes a 220,283-sq.-ft., five-story office building with a four-level parking garage adjacent to it.

The project also includes three, single story office condo buildings totaling 20,090-sq.-ft. J.F. McKinney & Associates & Lane Industries is the owner, with The Weitz Company as general contractor.

Upscale Hotel and Mixed-Use Project To Serve Avondale

The city of Avondale will get its first four or five star hotel with the 930,000-sq.-ft. development The Summit at Avondale. The hotel will include 180,000 sq. ft. of executive-office space along with retail pads, residential loft and condo living.

The mixed-use development has plans to bestow the Avondale community with an international technology-convention center, a 40,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, day spa, espresso lounge and workout center.

Situated on the southwest corner of I-10 and Avondale Boulevard at 115th Ave., the 33-acre development will serve as a gateway for Los Angeles and Pacific Rim travelers because of its easy interstate access and the hotel's dynamic, high-tech capabilities.

Owner Avalon Commercial Corporation will hold the initial groundbreaking for the office-suite portion of the development in summer 2006 and retail space will be available in the summer of 2007.

Proposed 19,600-Acre Development Northeast of Tucson

Lowe Enterprises has entered into exclusive negotiations with BHP Billiton subsidiary BHP Copper Inc., to form a joint venture for the development of BHP Billiton's 19,600 acres northeast of Tucson, Arizona.

Lowe Enterprises and BHP Billiton propose a master planned development with a variety of residential, commercial and light-industrial uses for the land, which includes a portion of BHP Billiton's former copper mine and processing facilities in Pinal County adjacent to the community of San Manuel. BHP Billiton has owned the San Manuel site since the early 1950's.

The location is 45 miles northeast of Tucson on the northeastern slopes of the Catalina Mountain Range with spectacular views of the Galiuro and Santa Catalina Mountains and the San Pedro River valley.

Lowe Enterprises is working on a preliminary design and will proceed with further analysis and market studies over the next several months.

Google to Locate Facility on ASU Tempe Campus