Libeskind-Designed Mixed-Use Project Coming to Downtown Phoenix Arts District
Manzana will feature a high-efficiency HVAC system, water-saving fixtures, low-e glass and a heat-absorbent EIFS facade. Green roofing will further enhance insulation and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Image courtesy Libeskind Design Studio
The planned Manzana mixed-use project in downtown Phoenix will continue the revitalization of the city's historic Roosevelt Row Arts District. A collaboration between the Phoenix office of Libeskind Studio Design and Phoenix-based Intersection Development, the 105,000 sq-ft, eight-story building will include 68 residential units, 38 parking stalls and 10,000 sq ft of food outlets and retail.
The firms envision the Manzana campus to express the artistic, cultural spirit of the Roosevelt Row Arts District by integrating the area’s past with Midcentury-Modern architectural inspiration and contemporary aesthetics. Libeskind and Intersection expect to name a general contractor and start construction by early 2025.
“With each project we take on, we aim to create a meaningful space that enhances the community around it,” says Lev Libeskind, who leads the design firm. “Honoring the urban context is crucial to making a building everyone enjoys and recognizes as a respectful contribution to the neighborhood.”
Sustainable elements will reduce the environmental impact. Manzana will feature a high-efficiency HVAC system, water-saving fixtures, a building management system, low-e glass and a heat-absorbent EIFS facade for enhanced insulation. Green roofing will further enhance insulation and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Stylistically, key elements celebrate area history, including the brickwork of the adjacent Spanish Revivial Knights of Pythias Building, completed in 1928, while Mexican wood elements honor the Latino and Indigenous legacies. Libeskind adds: “The facade’s jagged yet symmetric elements create an illusion of movement, playing with shadow patterns throughout the day and offering a constantly evolving visual experience.”
Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari says, “This project marks an important shift toward iconic, place-making architecture with the addition of the world-renowned Libeskind Studio Design."
Intersection has been involved in developing the Arts District since 2017 and is also planning The Rainbow Road project, a 36-unit apartment complex inspired by the Mario Kart courses by game manufacturer Nintendo. Construction on that project could begin in the first quarter of 2024.
