2024 Southwest Best Projects
Residential/Hospitality Merit — Omni Tempe
Photo by Werner Segarra Photography
Omni Tempe
Tempe, Ariz.
Award of Merit
Submitted by: Brasfield & Gorrie
Owner: TRT Holdings Inc.
Lead Design Firm: C+TC Design Studio
General Contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie
Civil Engineer: Wood Patel
Structural Engineer: PK Associates
MEP Engineer: Energy Systems Design Inc.
Mechanical Contractor: HACI Mechanical Contractor Inc.
Electrical Contractor: Specified Electrical Contractors Inc.
Subcontractors: TK Elevators; HACI Mechanical; Alamo Steel; Conti Group; Hayes Mechanical
Realized as part of a $125-million public-private partnership with Arizona State University and the city of Tempe, this 330-room hotel sits on the northwest corner of the university’s main campus and also features 30,000 sq ft of ballroom and meeting room space.
Roofing material and insulation, steel and concrete all had extended lead times and prices were swiftly escalating at the project’s outset in 2021.
The project team worked to solicit, scope out and write contracts to trade partners early in the schedule, awarding 96% of trade contracts within one month of breaking ground.
When volatility in the steel joist market resulted in lead times past 52 weeks, the contractor, steel trade partner and structural engineer came together to redesign the steel structure portion of the project to utilize wide flange beams instead of a traditional long-span joist system.
Thanks to these efforts, the hotel was completed on time and within budget in May 2023.
The project team also partnered with WINT to design a custom smart valve system that will greatly reduce the risk of extensive damage from building water leaks. This design consisted of eight total systems, including a valve on the building main water supply line that could be closed remotely via an app to prevent catastrophic water intrusion. It remains in place as a permanent addition to the building’s MEP systems.
