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By Eric Althoff

�ʱ᰿��������—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’s (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’s new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. ISTB12 will be home to office spaces, meeting areas, collaboration space and various laboratories.����

“The ISTB12 facility will propel the advancement of the most sophisticated technologies to benefit our students, faculty and researchers,” Tim Smith, ASU’s facilities development and management interim vice president, said at the topping-out ceremony. “The 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.”��

McCarthy’s 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.����

“Our collaborative project team, which includes four summer interns preparing to be next-generation construction professionals, has been working hard to build ASU’s 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’s most critical sectors,” Carlos Diaz, project director for McCarthy Building Companies, said of his company’s work on ISTB12. “The topping out signifies our team safely achieving a significant milestone and the project entering its next phase.”����

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.����

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’s design partners include Wood Patel Associates and PK Associates.��

“We are committed to executing ASU’s vision for this project’s successful delivery,” said Diaz. “We look forward to a strong completion in late summer 2025.”����