ASU Skysong Innovation Center

Built on the site of the former Los Arcos Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona

ASU SkySong: The Scottsdale Innovation Center was built on the site of the former Los Arcos Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona. SkySong is a mixed-use, $5.2 million project consisting of 1.2 million square feet of office, research, and retail space. It also includes a hotel/conference center and multi-family residential units.

The centerpiece of the development is an enormous custom tensile fabric structure supplied by FabriTec Structures in conjunction with FTL Design Architects and Higgins Development. The frame consists of eight steel structures reaching 111 feet in length. These steel “legs” weigh about 2,400 pounds each. The structure peaks at an impressive 125 feet in the air. The frame supports eight integrated conical-shaped pieces covered with 50,000 square feet of Teflon-coated fiberglass (PTFE) material. The fabric will be able to withstand 650 pounds of force per square inch once all the connection adjustments have been made. As FabriTec Construction Manager, Deon Kleynhans points out, “Once there is tension and it’s under load, it will be able to withstand the same forces as stainless steel.”