Arizona State University
PAE-3: Physical Campus Plan

In 2011 Arizona State University’s Campus Master Plan received its five year update. Sustainability was integrated into the document in a dedicated chapter, as well as through references through-out the document. The Chapter sites ASU’s overarching vision for sustainability including the ASU Carbon Neutrality Action Plan completed in 2009, and the ASU Strategic Plan for Sustainable Practices and Operations completed in 2011. Achieving ASUS’s four sustainability practices goals of 1) Carbon Neutrality, 2) Zero Solid/Water Waste, 3) Active Engagement and 4) Principled Practice remain central in the document with emphasis on Carbon Neutrality through-out the document and using the university’s sustainable design guidelines to support all of the sustainability practices goals.

Sustainability was also embedded in Arizona State University’s previous Campus Master Plans for each of its four locations in the greater Phoenix area. Some examples include a “garden oasis” landscape within the Sonoran Desert setting of the University and transportation Demand Management programs that promote the use of alternative modes of travel, including carpooling, vanpooling, riding transit, walking, bicycling, alternative work schedules that reduce trips, telecommuting, and compressed work schedules.

Each new building or renovation at the University must be LEED certified Silver or better. Some buildings are oriented in East-West direction where possible for maximum day lighting potential and controlling solar gains. Sunny outdoor spaces are linked to shaded interiors with partly shaded transitions. Building elements and mass provide shade at pedestrian areas. Technology is used to improve the sustainability of facilities.

More stringent standards than those established by the Americans with Disabilities Act are required for all new and renovation projects to ensure universal accessibility to all users of all areas of the campuses. Some examples are: All walks with a slope greater than 5% are considered ramps and shall have a handrail that meets the requirements of the ADA. Reduce use of overly coarse textured paving surfaces. And all pedestrian street interfaces should incorporate tactile paving and audible cross walk signal.