Phoenix Selects Design Firms for Downtown Hotel
Downtown Phoenix is expecting an
exciting vibrant skyline with the addition of a new landmark 1,000 room
Sheraton Hotel as the design firms have now been chosen. The hotel’s lead
architect is Arquitectonica, who will partner with the Arizona office of
RSP Architects. The building will be located at the northwest corner of
Van Buren and Third Street and will be roughly 30 stories tall. The $350 million hotel is slated to be completed in 2008, in conjunction
with the extensive $600 million expansion project already underway at the
Phoenix Convention Center (http://www.phx2006.com/). The hotel will be
located only two blocks from the Convention Center and allow guests easy
walking routes. The city expects to have contracts signed with the
architect, interior-design, construction-management and program-management
companies by late December. The design firms have local offices or
partners and have worked on other Phoenix marquee projects, including the
$354 million Bank One Ballpark. Arquitectonica also worked on the
city-owned Hilton Americas in Houston and the Westin New York at Times
Square.
“The new downtown will be dynamic offering scores of new amenities,
attractions, and meeting space options,” explained Scott White, V.P. of
Sales and Marketing for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Phoenix’ downtown area, known as Copper Square, is undergoing a
transformation as the Convention Center expansion project attracts new
business. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is scheduled to open in early
2005. Currently, there is shopping, movie theatres and nearly 100
restaurants and bars, and 20 art galleries and cultural venues in the
immediate area. It is home to four professional sports teams including the
Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), Phoenix Suns (NBA), Arizona Rattlers (AFL),
and the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA). The downtown area is the hub of the
region’s transportation infrastructure, which is ringed by freeways,
busses and will be served by the new “METRO” light rail system.
The area will also be headquarters to the International Genomics
Consortium and Translational Genomics Research Institute as well as the
Arizona Biosciences Collaborative. It will also be the future site of the
University of Arizona Health Sciences Center as well as the proposed home
for 12,000 students at the Arizona State Downtown campus.
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