Two to Tango

It’s a spring tradition for me to read “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman. For those who have never read it — or haven’t read it since college — it’s a book of poetry that, among many things, frame themes of transition and symbiosis between people and their cities. I found this a rather fitting theme for this issue, which contains stories that echo such ideas of transcending.

In the AZRE Source, you’ll find an article about architect and designer Bill Tonnesen and his partner Gabriel Saia who bought an office complex next door to a strip club and incorporated the neighboring business into the design of their mixed use center in a beautiful, modern way (page 6).

This issue of AZRE also looks at the transition of the Phoenix Warehouse District into a vibrant Millennial magnet and speaks to a few of the people who are leading that charge (page 8).

The healthcare section in this issue looks at two large hospital projects that have the biggest general contractors in the game entering joint contract agreements, years before they’re expected to break ground (page 34). We also discuss the seven degrees of separation hospitals can achieve through telemedicine advances, bringing together services across state and continental borders (page 38).

This will bring you to the Valley Partnership supplement, where we discuss the effect of higher education facilities on commercial development and the relationship between large, ground-up projects and hip adaptive reuses popping up around the Valley (page 46). You can also read about new CEO and President Cheryl Lombard’s vision for Valley Partnership and why the board calls her the changing face of development (page 42).

While you transition into the end of the fiscal year with a new governor and new opportunities in tow, I hope you find time to stop and enjoy the present. The future sure is bright, and I’m not just talking about that formidable summer sun.

‘Til July,

Amanda Ventura, Editor
amanda.ventura@azbigmedia.com