2023 Southwest Best Projects
Award of Merit Government/Public Building: Goodyear Civic Square at GSC
Photo by David Schacher Photography
Goodyear Civic Square at GSQ
Goodyear, Ariz.
Award of Merit, Government/Public Building
Submitted By: Ryan Cos. U.S.
Owner: City of Goodyear
Owner/Developer: Globe Corp.
Lead Design Firm: Butler Design Group
General Contractor: Ryan Cos. U.S.
The Goodyear Civic Square at GSQ brings the city’s vision for a traditional downtown core to life. Anchored by a 125,000-sq-ft, four-story city hall and two-story library, the 47-acre campus also includes a civic park, three-story office building and a 912-vehicle parking garage, the first parking garage in the city’s 106-year history.
The new civic landmark is now home to the Goodyear City Council’s 150-seat meeting chambers, and the upper floors of the building are already home to more than 150 employees. The campus contains a three-story, 104,000-sq-ft Class A office building as well, which has already signed key tenants like Edward Jones, Raymond James and Farm Bureau.
The two-acre civic park will be the site of community events like yoga, concerts, festivals and performances, aided by the parking deck which is a welcome addition as a primary parking source for the campus that’s open to the public on nights and weekends, helping establish a true city center for the community of more than 100,000 residents.
To create a secure yet inviting and walkable campus, the team incorporated features such as narrow streets, wide sidewalks, passive wayfinding and balanced lighting while integrating surveillance and security elements into building architecture.
Constant communication enabled design work to progress through the pandemic and the ensuing supply chain disruptions, with each critical element modeled in 3D, then verified with physical mock-ups.
