ASU University Gateway Building

The University Gateway Building stands not just as a piece of architecture, but as a symbol of innovation, connection, and the ASU spirit.

By combining thoughtful design with innovative problem-solving, ASU’s five-story, 128,000 square foot University Gateway Building delivers specialized academic spaces on its upper four floors, while its dynamic retail streetscape serves as ASU’s campus gateway on Mill Avenue.

At the heart of the building lies a central street-level student lobby connecting to its upper four academic floors. The four academic floors are dedicated to specialized programs primarily serving ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. These spaces feature architectural design studios, music rehearsal and recording studios, digital and film photography labs, art media rooms, and an e-sports theater.

Advanced facilities support clinical music therapy, motion capture, stop-motion animation, sound research, and acoustically refined studios, including private practice and ensemble rehearsal rooms. Together, they cater to the institute’s diverse artistic and educational programs.

The building’s narrow, elongated form—70 feet deep and nearly 400 feet long—posed unique challenges for managing solar heat due to its orientation. The solution is a strategically engineered outer envelope, designed with a deeply faceted wall panel system to shade windows and control glare and heat gain.

Achieving this highly effective solution required ASU’s ongoing ambition to innovate, DFDG Architecture’s creativity in developing such a unique and effective solution, and the McCarthy construction team’s willingness to go the extra mile to execute it flawlessly.

The University Gateway Building represents a harmonious blend of learning, creativity, and community—an enduring cornerstone of a thriving campus and city.