UA Scottsdale Center Opens as New Campus Embassy by ASG

The University of Arizona Scottsdale Center, by award-winning interdisciplinary design firm Ayers Saint Gross, links the university’s main Tucson campus to a Scottsdale hub for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders. The University of Arizona Foundation purchased the building in 2022 to help the university expand its presence, and the Center’s architecture and design celebrate the rich history of the university while providing a place to build for the future.

Image Courtesy of: Ayers Saint Gross

Located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, the Center is 15,600 square feet and houses admissions, government and community relations, and alumni outreach, as well as a multi-use event center, offices, collaborative areas, and hoteling options for visiting faculty, staff, and alumni.

“We are proud to have designed a space that connects the University of Arizona to its larger community,” says Joel Fidler, President of Ayers Saint Gross. “The Center aligns with our goals to create places that promote engagement, foster exchange of ideas, and advance universities’ missions.”

Acting as an embassy and immersive brand experience for U of A, the Scottsdale Center’s design focuses on interconnection. Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by a topography wall that is modeled after the terrain between the main campus and the embassy’s site. The Center’s custom terrazzo floors are embedded with lyrics from the university’s alma mater song. Angled, intersecting divider strips in the floors and a hanging wood ceiling installation use geometry and patterning to further symbolize the links between Tucson and Scottsdale, academics and athletics, and alumni and current students.

Image Courtesy of: Ayers Saint Gross

Experiential design elements incorporate the university colors and brand throughout the space and include photo displays, a dynamic picture flap wall, a lenticular wall, and graphics that honor the university’s achievements. Advancing U of A’s mission, Ayers Saint Gross’s interdisciplinary approach to the Scottsdale Center creates a celebratory and forward-thinking embassy for the university to continue its purpose of working together to expand human potential, explore new horizons, and enrich life for all.

About Ayers Saint Gross
Ayers Saint Gross is an interdisciplinary design firm of architects, planners, landscape architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and space analysts. The studio works with mission-driven clients around the world to create places for shared knowledge and culture. Ayers Saint Gross’s work is driven by a respect for past wisdom, a mind to future potential, and an obligation to leave places better than the firm found them. Since their founding in 1912, Ayers Saint Gross has established a reputation for buildings and environments of enduring value, earning more than 200 design awards including an AN Best of Practice Award, AIA National COTE Top Ten, and National ASLA Honor Award in Research. From higher education institutions to cultural landmarks, Ayers Saint Gross delivers excellence at every scale.