The Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health is the newest addition to Arizona State University’s rapidly expanding research district of their Tempe campus. This 281,000 SF facility welcomes innovative research teams that focus on ASU’s exploration around the subjects of food, energy, and water. This building allows for students and faculty to focus their energy on the relationship between our planet and humans.
The Walton Center for Planetary Health provides a variety of features that allows for students to learn about the health of our planet. The 389-person presentation hall is optimized for learning with a Circular Projection System. An array of 12 projectors produces 360-degree, continuous images around a circular screen. The auditorium/lecture hall is set up in a round configuration and offers opportunities for unique methods of sharing and visualizing data. For example, students can be fully immersed in faculty-lead lectures by seeing and hearing the presentation all around them.
In addition to students and faculty, the advanced research facility welcomes scientists outside of the University to come together at one location in an effort to solve issues that our planet faces. Open, dry research labs for computing and engineering design and fabrication are available to researchers, as well as specialized wet lab space for biological sciences.
Other technology-rich spaces include a biome-like atrium, conference and education center, classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and ancillary support space.
