PLANNET is pleased to have been a part of the Tooker House project at Arizona State University, which has won the prestigious architectural 2020 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award. Tooker House at Arizona State University, the largest university in the United States, is a 458,000 square foot 7-story housing and education building that connects to the main campus via a bridge and walkway. This is one of PLANNET’s eight projects with Arizona State University, including the renovation of the adjacent and historical Manzanita Hall. The newly constructed Tooker House building is host to engineering classrooms, laboratories, co-ed dormitories, a fitness center, passive lounges for studying/collaboration, active lounges for gaming or socializing, outdoor gathering spaces, a large dining hall, and laundry facilities. PLANNET takes pride in designing IT infrastructure that is symbiotic with the unique designs and architecture of a building, as seen in the Tooker House project.
PLANNET provided the design and oversight of the implementation of the wireless, telecommunication, audiovisual, and technical infrastructure for the entire building. PLANNET’s expertise allowed for close coordination with the University’s UTO Department to extend the university’s established network backbone to support all the new infrastructure. PLANNET’s Audio Visual team played a large role in the Tooker House project. The team provided systems and infrastructure design supporting a background music system that can be controlled from the front desk and allows for different volumes in multiple zones throughout the property, displays and audio for the fitness center, projectors/screens and enhanced audio for the academic spaces and collaborative supported displays for both the active and passive lounges.
PLANNET’s security expertise provided access control and video surveillance for the building perimeter, common gathering spaces, and the administrative areas, utilizing campus standards that were incorporated into the existing campus security system.
Working together with the UTO Department, PLANNET used predictive heat maps to strategically place wireless access points throughout the facility, allowing students to work collaboratively with reliable internet connections and minimal interference between access points. The study rooms were outfitted with displays that students can connect to wirelessly or using an HDMI connection. Adding another useful feature for residents, PLANNET designed the cabling infrastructure for a state-of-the-art laundry facility that notifies the students when laundry loads are done, or when a washer/dryer has become available for use. These efforts helped transform Tooker House into an award-winning student living and learning center that will help foster the next generation of engineers.
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