PHOENIX, AZ — General contractor McCarthy Building Companies, with its design partners, CO Architects and DFDG Architects joined university and state leaders to break ground on Arizona State University’s (ASU) new Health Headquarters building in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
The approximately 175,000-square-foot, five-story facility being constructed in the downtown Phoenix Bioscience Core will be home to ASU’s new medical and engineering school with clinical space and two new programs that expand ASU Health’s multidisciplinary curricula. The Health Headquarters building will house the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, which will teach future physicians how to improve patient care by blending medicine, engineering, technology, and humanities; and its new School of Technology for Public Health, which will focus on the integration of digital technology and data-driven decisions, aiming to improve local public health.
Beginning construction on ASU’s Health Headquarters marks the next step toward establishing a hub that will anchor a new, integrated “learning health ecosystem.” The design and construction team, working in partnership with ASU, will develop a facility that integrates education, research, clinical collaboration, and innovation with the objective of advancing health outcomes. With construction expected to complete in summer 2028, classes will begin being held in the new Health Headquarters building in fall 2028.
“The ASU Health Building is an important project, and ASU has assembled a strong team of professionals who will deliver state-of-the-art space that supports the vision for ASU Health,” ASU Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer Morgan R. Olsen said. “McCarthy Building Companies has earned our confidence, as has the design team of CO Architects and DFDG Architecture. The challenge of designing and building a home for the academic units and research professionals who will be at the leading edge of health care innovation is a generational opportunity that requires the very best. We look forward to the grand opening in the fall of 2028.”
ASU Health Headquarters is designed to support the school’s pillars of workforce development, public health, and innovation while preparing students to become the next generation of physicians, addressing health-related outcomes for Arizonans and beyond.
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The design incorporates the most modern technology in health education, with an eye on future needs. Elements include augmented and virtual anatomy, clinical skills, a simulation center with mock operating and emergency rooms, a Med-Tech Innovation Suite for student projects with industry partners, interdisciplinary simulation and standardized patient suites, a virtual skills lab for training using AR/VR, exam rooms, health assessment lab, part-task training, bed labs, technology-rich learning studios, study spaces, a library, a student lounge and meeting spaces, administrative offices, and research space. Additionally, the new ASU Health Headquarters will offer community-facing programs to members of the public, allowing them to interface with technology-enabled information on health-related issues such as immunizations.
Construction teams are beginning work on the site, which is bounded by Fillmore and Pierce streets to the north and south, and Fourth and Fifth streets to the east and west. Initial site work involves the relocation of utilities, demolition, and ground improvements in preparation for building foundations. The team, which is expected to consist of 300 workers at peak construction, is collaborating with the city to develop sequencing and communication plans to mitigate the disruption of traffic and pedestrian flow around this active intersection.
Structural topping out is anticipated in early 2027, another significant step in bringing the facility to life. The building enclosure will follow, featuring a durable exterior composed of ultra-high-performance concrete panels, aluminum curtainwall systems, and masonry — selected to balance longevity, performance, and architectural expression. Inside, the building will incorporate an advanced HVAC system anchored by the Neuton pump module, a new compact, factory-assembled solution that integrates pumps, controls, and valves to efficiently deliver heating and cooling to chilled beam systems. This approach supports enhanced energy performance, operational flexibility, and reduced life cycle costs.
McCarthy is utilizing detailed 3D modeling of building systems and interior spaces to coordinate building components. Doing so allows ASU and its end-users to virtually experience the facility prior to the start of the building’s interior construction, permitting ample time for modifications to be incorporated that will aid in the learning process.
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“Recognizing that this project’s impact will reach far beyond its walls, everyone involved feels a strong sense of ownership and responsibility to deliver our future doctors, nurses, researchers, and public health officials with a best-in-class facility that promotes innovation, creates jobs, and supports better health for communities across Arizona for decades to come,” said Carlos Diaz, Project Executive with McCarthy Building Companies. “Our most important responsibility is to deliver a highly reliable, exceptionally built facility that enables ASU to advance its vision from day one. Achieving that requires deep, intentional collaboration with ASU, the City of Phoenix, utility partners, and the surrounding community.”
In addition to design firms CO Architects and DFDG Architecture and the project’s general contractor McCarthy Building Companies, the project team includes Meyer Borgman Johnson (structural engineering), Spectrum Engineers (MEP engineering), Dibble Engineers (civil engineering), TrueForm Landscape Architecture Studio (landscape architecture), Bowman Fire & Life Safety (safety consultant), WSP USA Buildings (sustainability consultant), and NV5 (AV/IT/security consultant).
