Developers and Arizona State University officials reassured attendees that the future Thunderbird School of Global Management building would maintain the school’s spirit, embrace multiculturalism and be a welcoming area for everyone downtown at the latest community meeting.
The meeting was held Thursday for the community to share aspirations for the school’s new home with its developers, according to Sanjeev Khagram, dean of the Thunderbird School. The new building will be located south of the Beus Center for Law and Society on Polk Street between First and Second streets.
Thunderbird was previously stationed at ASU’s West campus in Glendale after merging with the university in 2014. It is currently operating out of an interim location at the Arizona Center, located on 3rd and Van Buren streets. The new structure is set to open in 2021.
Mick Dalrymple, director of university sustainability practices, said he hopes the Thunderbird building will set the school apart from others by bringing “a true embrace and celebration of multiculturalism” to downtown Phoenix.
Architect Eddie Jones of Jones Studio, who is designing the building, said feedback from the community is vital to the design process.
“Regardless of who the user of the building is, regardless of who’s commissioning the building; buildings have an impact on communities,” Jones said. “Whether you’re enrolled in Thunderbird or not, this will make a difference in your life.”
Rick Naimark, associate vice president for program development planning at ASU, said community input has always been extremely valuable in building the school’s downtown Phoenix campus.
“(I’m looking forward to) how the architects can take all this input and all our requirements and turn them into something great,” Naimark said.
Influences for the design include places such as Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, where focus is heavily on design at ground level, Jones said.
Attendees at the meeting said the building site should capture people’s attention as they walk through the area and be appealing to more than just students and faculty. Some suggested integrating businesses into the first floor.
Some attendees also expressed concern that Jones Studios would not be able to keep the spirit of Thunderbird alive, but Khagram assured the audience that traditions such as regional night, which celebrates student’s cultures, and the on-campus pub, will not be going anywhere. Jones Studios also helped design ASU’s Beus Center for Law and Society
School officials said Thunderbird is aiming to have 500 graduate students located downtown.
According to Khagram, the move to downtown Phoenix from Glendale was critical.
“Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the United States; the fastest growing city in the United States,” Khagram said. “We want to be here to contribute to the city and help meet its aspirations.”
Contact the reporter at mnvillar@asu.edu.
