The City of Phoenix has announced the winner of a design contest aimed to boldly push forward the Resource Innovation Campus (RIC), stepping into a future of sustainability and waste diversion. According to Phoenix's official news release, the local architectural firm Krause took the top spot in the C40 Cities Reinventing Cities Initiative competition. The firm will now spearhead the creation of a fully carbon-positive building that is set to not just meet but exceed global sustainability benchmarks.
Krause's winning entry also aims to achieve Living Building Challenge certification, an esteemed accolade recognizing the most stringent ecological and sustainable building designs. This aligns with Phoenix's ambitious goal to increase waste diversion to 50% by 2030 and transition to a zero-waste city by 2050.
Commenting on this development, Mayor Kate Gallego stated, "Phoenix has been a national leader in developing circular economy solutions that divert materials from landfills and turn waste into resources. This is an exciting step forward that builds upon this leadership and promises transformational, sustainable development in an important part of our city." The RIC is planned to be a model for the integration between the built environment and circular economy practices, with a footprint of 20 acres at the 27th Avenue transfer station in the Estrella Village community.
Within the context of their neighborhood, the RIC offers a bridge to not just revitalize a historic manufacturing hub but also foster sustainable job growth. The project intersects with Senator John McCain’s legacy initiative, Rio Reimagined, that seeks to restore and enrich the ecosystems along over 55 miles of the Salt and Gila Rivers. Michael Krause, Partner & Senior Designer at Krause, expressed the firm's innovative approach by stating, "Our design approach to Phoenix’s Resource Innovation Campus begins where the typical approach ends. Rather than seeking incremental improvements, we went beyond checklist-minded sustainability certifications in an effort to truly give back to the community and our environment through design."
The challenge set out by the C40 Reinventing Cities is to create zero-carbon developments and galvanize local economies by repurposing underutilized sites. Phoenix’s RIC stands to be a testament to this challenge, offering opportunities for companies to research and develop new technologies that underpin a circular economy benefiting both business and residential communities. For more information on Phoenix's Resource Innovation Campus and the city's pursuit of a circular economy, public updates are available through social media channels like @PHXPublicWorks and @talkingtrashphx. Editor's note: The headline has been updated to correct the misspelled word
