Tempe Municipal Building, 31 East Fifth Street, Tempe

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The City of Tempe presently owns and uses the facility. The occupants are: Third Floor: City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, Personnel Director, Public Works Director, Management Services Director Second Floor: Finance Director, Accounting, Licenses, Purchasing First Floor: Reception, Customer Service Basement: Council Chambers Lower Level: Engineering, Data Processing Equipment, Duplxcating, Building Safety, Planning, Personnel.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,7-TEMP,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Tempe Municipal Building, erected in was designed to be a unique and innovative focal point, the purpose of which was to supply adequate space for the growing community's city government. Aesthetics, accessibility, energy conservation, and expandability were the major components of its architectural con- cepts. In addition, the building was to provide maximum space without overpowering the available site - - near Tempe's Central business district. This particular location was selected by the City Council to show confidence in the downtown area; consequently, it was felt that the building should exemplify progress in government yet have a timeless beauty that would be compatible with future redevelopment. Part I. Historical Information A.. Physical History 1.

The structure, which was built during was dedicated on October 2, 2. The architects selected for the project were Michael and Kemper Goodwin, residents of Tempe, whose previous work included the Language and Literature Building on the Arizona State University campus. The designing architects were Rolf 0. Osland and Michael Goodwin. 3.

Included among the builders, contractors, and suppliers were : Structural Engineers: Hanlyn, Mann, and Anderson Mechanical Engineers: Lowry and Sorensen General Contractors: - Sundt Construction Company Phoenix, Arizona Glass: CE Glass, Pennsauken, Aluminum Entrances: Republic Aluminum Company, Richardson Texas Windowwall Fabrication and Glazing: Volkmer Dallas Porcelain Panels: Wolverine Porcelain Enameling Company, Detroit Structural Gaskets: Standard Products Company, Port Clinton, Ohio Part II. Architectural Information A. Description of Exterior The central tower of the Tempe Municipal complex (which houses the city's administrative body) is a three-story structure shaped like an inverted pyramid.

This tower rises from a basement level square feet) in which are located the City Council Chambers square feet). The forty-five foor square first floor con- tains square feet; the second is a seventy-five foor square comprising square feet; the third is a one-hundred foor square encompassing square feet. The tower's roof measures as a one- hundred- and-twenty-six-foot square containing square feet. The total tower area comprises square feet. It should be noted that a unique stair tower is attached to the inverted tower via bridges at each floor level. This tower, made of poured-in-place concrete, serves as a fire exit since it is not accessible as an entrance. yf^Or^PU^ &h tlcaJ rvC fX ^uaUL4 w- THE MUNICIPAL

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In the mid it became obvious that existing municipal office buildings were inadequate. The City Manager and his staff shared a former fire station with the Personnel Officer, the Parks Department operated out of an old house, Engineering services were housed in an old adobe home, and the City Council chambers could hold only a handful of people. Every office was crowded and disjointed. To show confidence in the downtown area the City Council chose to preserve the historic municipal building site and to construct its futuristic governmental center at the old address. The new complex is exciting in many respects. In addition to enhancing the effectiveness of the municipal government, the City Council felt that the building should seem accessible and inviting to Tempe's citizens.

It was felt that the building should exemplify progress in government yet have a timeless beauty that would be compatible with future redevelopment. In order to build a structure containing in excess of square feet without overpowering the site, the complex was designed to include a central tower with perimeter offices that are partially subterranean. The perimeter offices surround the central tower on three sides with a fourth side re- served for future expansion. The architects sought to maximize the window area in the central tower but recognized the constraint imposed by Arizona's summer sun. In most glass-walled structures, reflective glass or sun screens are employed to reduce heat transmit- ted to the interior.

On this building, however, reflective glass would throw excessive heat across the open plaza and into the perimeter buildings. Sun screens would destroy the appearance of the glass cage design. To overcome these obstacles, the building was turned so that the smallest possible area is exposed directly to the mid-afternoon sun. The glass walls are set at forty-five degree angles upward. The building rises from a forty-five foot square first floor to a one hundred and twenty-six foot square roof. The use of sun-bronze tinted glass, together with the shade provided by the tiled walls, allows only eighteen percent of the sun's heat to pass through the windows on the hottest summer day. Floor space is equally divided between the central pyramid and the perimeter buildings.

The Mayor, ity Manager and several key management services are located in the central pyramid. The depart- ments with extensive, direct, day-to-day contact with the public, Planning, Building Inspection, Engin- eering and Parks and Recreation are located in the perimeter. Becaudtt of the initial space requirement square feet), the complex was designed to include partially subterranean buildings so&u&re feet) forming a square with the tower at its center; presently, however, only three sides are being utilized. The roofs of these buildings double as walkways surrounding the tower; bridges over sunken gardens Link the perimeter offices with the central structure. The exterior walls of the inverted pyramid are mostly glass.

Since reflective glass would have heated the perimeter area ex- cessively and since sunscreens would have destroyed the aesthetics of the glass cage design, the selected glass was V tempered bronze- tinted polished plate glass. The non-glass portion of the exterior walls is composed of either window mullions or building structure. The exterior surfaces of these are porcelain. The spandrel panels between floors are composed of a laminated porcelain enamel panel, an air space, gypsum board, insulation, plywood (continous between columns), and carpet. The perimeter office walls facing the center tower are h" tem- pered clear polished plate glass and insulated porcelain enamel panels; these are framed by an 8" rough-textured concrete structure. B.

Description ol Interior The general layout of the exterior consists of perimeter executive offices partitioned with glass panels. Remaining work areas reflect a flexible open-office system utilizing modular desk and shelving arrangements. The sense of openness is enhanced by the white rough-textured ceiling panels and smooth perimeter walls (the windows of which are draped in open-weave off-white fabric). Gold tweed carpeting covers all floor area. Additional color is provided by yellow filing cabinets, orange and yellow chairs, and orange or yellow shelving. At the center of each level are the elevator and stairwell. C. The building faces have been oriented NE, MS, SE, and SW so as to improve the shading effect of the sloped walls.

Although the building is accessible on all four sides, the NW entrance is con- sidered to be the primary one. 1. This material has been excerpted from Building Description Report on the Tempe Municipal Building by William C. Weinaug, the Pennsylvania State University, October 13, 4f Landscaping surrounding the central tower utilizes a terraced subterranean garden surrounded by the perimeter offices. Plantings include manicured hedges, a variety of trees from pines to palms, and flowering bushes. Prepared by Maryanne C. Corder Management Intern August 28, 19 81 U*5 *> n-z^mi.