Arizona State University, Tooker House

Tooker House is a living/learning community serving freshmen students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. The community replaced an existing housing structure located at the terminus of the university’s historic Palm Walk and fronting the Beach, one of the major green gathering spaces on campus. Connecting to and enhancing the site’s civic nature became a major driver for the planning, massing, and design of the project.

The site lays between the main campus, Sun Devil Stadium, and Wells Fargo Arena; the design team was challenged to develop a design that would allow for crowds to permeate the building. The design responds by undercutting the expansive southern façade, allowing pedestrians to intuitively flow under and through the building. This south façade features a sandstone rain screen and dynamic array of vertical perforated louvers.

While the building is modern in its expression, the sand and terracotta coloration and materials themselves respond to the existing campus context. The louvers change in pattern and intensity in response to the sun, resulting in a sense of continual movement. This active façade contributes to a unique sense of place, serving as a dramatic backdrop to the Beach and surrounding residential district.