The fourth commercial office building at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center is officially open for business.
The facility is already 50 percent leased, and has recently signed on two major tech companies. The building is also expected to be LEED Silver Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
MindBody, a cloud-based software firm, and Brightcove, an online video firm, are just two of the building’s major tenants.
MindBody is relocating from Tempe, and signed a long-term lease to occupy 28,229 square feet, and Brightcove signed a lease to occupy 13,000 square feet of the first floor.
Developers expect the leasing momentum on the SkySong campus to continue as construction for SkySong 5 is expected to begin in Spring 2017.
Pre-leasing is underway, with Andrew Cheney and Craig Coppola of Lee & Associates serving as brokers for the project.
“The construction of SkySong 4 has gone very smoothly. In March, after just 4 and a half months of construction, we celebrated the ‘topping out’ of SkySong 4 and now it is being occupied,” said Sharon Harper, President and CEO of Plaza Companies. “We are thankful for the work done by DPR Construction and its subcontractors – they have constructed a building that is unique in character and that will draw people in to its work environment.”
SkySong 4 has some unique features that help it stand out as a commercial office building. The design utilizes shading elements in a way that is both functional and appealing, with varying degrees of vertical perforated fins and tension fabric sails providing shade along the north. The other facades of the building incorporate selected recessed windows, horizontal shade elements and selective use of glass for both solar exposure and views in such a way that all approaches have their own identity and yet all are cohesive.
The open lobby of SkySong 4 embraces the environment, placement, and orientation of the overall building. It is home to a pair of interactive video screens, digital directory, and large bar-top modern collaborative table. A full height accordion style glass wall opens the through lobby up to interface with an exterior seating area adorned with a signature custom gas fire feature, a truly unique setting. Unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains from the upper floors contribute to the overall experience of the building.
Sethuraman Panchanathan, executive vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer at Arizona State University, said that the new building is an important landmark for the project.
“The continued growth of SkySong is indicative of the continued growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in our local economy,” Panchanathan said. “It is very gratifying to see the fourth office building open at SkySong and to see more innovative companies join the SkySong family.”
Plaza Companies is the master developer of the project in partnership with the Arizona State University Foundation, the City of Scottsdale and Holualoa Companies.
