Construction Begins on ASU’s New Health Headquarters Building in the Downtown Phoenix Bioscience Core

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. 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 towards establishing a transformational hub that will anchor a new, integrated “learning health ecosystem.” The design and construction team, working in partnership with ASU, are committed to developing 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,” said ASU Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Morgan R. Olsen.  “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.”

Designed to Meet Future Community Health Needs

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. 

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, and 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.

“The new ASU Health Headquarters will redefine the future of medical and health sciences education facilities,” says Jenna Knudsen, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Managing Principal of CO Architects. “Designed to evolve with the future challenges of healthcare, the building centers on highly adaptable, interdisciplinary learning environments that bring students, faculty, community, and industry together in dynamic ways. The integration of on-site industry partners embeds real-world research into everyday learning, bridging the gap between education and practice. Paired with spaces designed for advanced teaching technologies, the building will cultivate a new generation of medical professionals equipped to lead in an increasingly complex and technology-driven healthcare landscape.”

“It is very rewarding to be part of the design team challenged to create this new ASU Health building, which represents a new paradigm in medical education and healthcare. The programs within this building, including the new medical school, are intended to actively serve the broader health community and challenge us to think holistically, where learning, research, and community wellness intersect to create measurable improvements in public health,” said DFDG President Darrin Orndorff, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. This project carries a responsibility to look beyond the classroom and create an environment that supports innovation, equity, and real-world impact, helping shape both the future of medicine and the health of the communities it serves.”

End-User and Community-Oriented Construction Strategy 

With the commencement of construction, ASU Health’s vision of creating a hub of innovation that enhances health for all, serving as a national model of health education, research, and clinical partnerships, is officially underway in downtown Phoenix.

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 sitework 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 communications 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 high-performance, durable exterior composed of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) panels, aluminum curtainwall systems, and masonry—carefully 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 state-of-the-art compact, factory-assembled solution that integrates pumps, controls, and valves to efficiently deliver heating and cooling to chilled beam systems. This forward-thinking approach supports enhanced energy performance, operational flexibility, and reduced lifecycle costs, aligning with ASU’s sustainability goals and commitment to innovative, high-performance design.

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. 

“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).

About the Design & Construction Team

CO Architects is nationally recognized for architectural planning, programming, and design in the higher education, science and technology, healthcare, and civic and cultural sectors, and works with leading institutions from coast to coast. CO Architects’ specialized expertise includes transformative schools of medicine and health professions, advanced research and teaching laboratories, and innovative clinical facilities on higher education, health care, and urban campuses. The firm has been nationally and internationally recognized with more than 260 awards for innovative design and project delivery, including the AIA California’s Architecture Firm of the Year Award. 

DFDG Architecture is an Arizona-based firm with more than 55 years of experience designing innovative and impactful spaces. The firm specializes in projects across higher education, science and technology, aviation, corporate, public safety, and municipal sectors, working with leading institutions, such as Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Mayo Clinic, and the Barrow Neurological Institute. From academic buildings to healthcare and research facilities, DFDG aims to enhance communities and improve lives. 

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country—with more than 160 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that spans all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 15th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2025). With approximately 8,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix and Chandler, Ariz; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100% employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.