The $54-million College Avenue Commons project on the campus of Arizona State University is in many respects a typical university project. The 130,000-sq-ft steel building, located on College Avenue between 6th and 7th streets in Tempe, connects the city and the university. It has a bookstore and a team shop and provides students with a place to meet and serves as a venue for hosting community meetings.
But what is unusual is that the building also happens to be a giant teaching tool for students at the university's Del E. Webb School of Construction, housed in the building. The construction manager at-risk project, built by Okland Construction and designed by Gensler|Architekton, gives students a chance to see how buildings work—from the inside out.