Efficient office design extends to the parking lot
by RaeAnne Marsh

The Class A office building under construction at Mayo Boulevard and Scottsdale Road is designed to work efficiently for large users but is also easily divisible into smaller units. Said Jeff Roberts, vice president of real estate development for Phoenix‑based Opus West, leased space in the three‑phased project is available from 1,500 square feet to the full 152,000 square feet.

Opus West’s office building features a central core, with a wing on either side seeming to stretch forward in welcome. Four stories tall, the building is served by an elevator in that core, plus three stairwells.

“With smaller users, we’ll build corridors to the fire stairs, and the tenants will access [their units] off the common corridor,” explained Roberts. Large users that do not need the corridor, he noted, can have direct access from the elevator.

Floors are approximately equal in square footage. The lower two floors give away some otherwise leasable space for the two‑story lobby, while the upper two floors run slightly smaller due to tiering and balconies incorporated into their design.

This building, which broke ground in February, is the third and final phase of a project Opus West developed on its portion of the old Chauncey Arabian horse ranch. Approximately 34 acres, the property is bordered east and west by 70th and 68th streets and north and south by Mayo Boulevard and Chauncey Lane.

Somewhat of a departure from the company’s usual pattern, the location is what Roberts sees as one of the best things about the project. “We love to be right on the freeway and have that visibility,” said Roberts, “but here we benefit from the existing retail.”

Calling the nearby intersection of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road “Main and Main,” Roberts noted that the convenience of amenities such as shopping and restaurants adds to the desirability of the location.

The Phase III building is a mirror image of Phase I. Instead of following a campus style, with buildings clustered together, Opus West opted for stand‑alone buildings, according to Mike Edwards of Phoenix‑based architecture firm DFD Cornoyer‑Hedrick. These two large buildings, therefore, were pushed to the corners of the property, where they enjoy street‑side presence.

Predominant building materials are EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and true, veneered, natural sandstone.

Although the building design was created a few years ago, prior to the current popularity of green building concepts, Edwards noted it in corporates specification items that are economically sensible. “They were included because they make it more cost‑effective to operate and to build.”

EIFS is one item, a multi‑layered cladding product that includes insulation and has proven energy efficiency. Another feature is the insulated glazing used for the windows, especially important given the buildings’ extensive amount of window. Mullion patterns on the windows that interlace all floors provide a visual continuity to the exterior design.

Between Phases I and III, Opus West completed a Phase II of four smaller buildings clustered at another corner. Due to the site’s heavy north‑south sloping, design of this phase presented a challenge to develop the site. Building pads were built up to accommodate water flow yet not stand out visually.

An adjacent wash contributed what Roberts referred to as “some inefficiencies” to the property, but, he noted, “It creates a nice set‑back.”

Opus West’s initial purchase, in 2004, was 25 acres. The company sold part of that parcel to Lifetime Fitness, which built a sizeable facility (approximately 100,000 square feet). As an amenity, it’s another plus in the proximate area, Roberts observed, but the fitness center brings another benefit to the North Scottsdale Corporate Center–parking efficiency.

Explained Edwards, the fitness center attracts heavy usage in the early morning and in the evening but remains, for the most part, empty during the day. The office buildings, on the other hand, have their heaviest usage during the day. Opus West, DFD and Lifetime Fitness worked together to create shared parking.

“From 8 to 5, the office uses part of Lifetime Fitness’s parking; in the early and late hours, Lifetime Fitness uses part of the office parking.” This arrangement doesn’t inefficiently leave a vast lot of asphalt underutilized. “Developers are lucky when they can find uses like that,” observed Edwards. “It’s the perfect type use.”

Phase III’s steel structure is taking shape now and will be done by the end of June. Anticipated completion for the shell building is prior to year end. The market to which the office space is targeted includes businesses such as computer software technology companies and mortgage companies.

For leasing information, contact leasing brokers Jim Fijan and Jerry Roberts in the Phoenix office of CB Richard Ellis at (602) 735‑5555.