Central Station

Central Station Redevelopment is a transformative, mixed-use, transit-oriented development redefining the heart of downtown Phoenix. Seamlessly integrating transit, housing, retail, and office space, the project enhances connectivity while creating a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban center.

Anchored by the reimagined City of Phoenix central transit hub, Central Station introduces two residential towers—a 22-story student housing building with 655 beds and a 33-story residential tower with 338 units—offering market-rate, student, and workforce housing.

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Two levels of below-grade parking support the development, while a new transit office ensures optimal visibility, accessibility, and safety. Restoring a fine-grained, textured urban fabric, Central Station sets a new standard for multi-modal, transit-oriented development in Phoenix.

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The project’s ground plane is designed as an open civic space for the entire city, seamlessly integrating into its urban context. Residents, transit patrons, office employees, and the greater public will be able to easily move from one transportation type to another, socialize, find shade and respite, and visit a mix of retail and amenity types. Architectural strategies such as deep overhangs, canopies, a shaded breezeway, desert landscaping, textured hardscape, and pedestrian amenities prioritize pedestrian comfort and provide relief from the harsh desert climate.

The project extends Civic Space Park’s vibrancy into the streetscape, activating its southern edge and prioritizing walkability. Below-grade parking keeps the ground level open and inviting, while generous office floor plates with high ceilings attract creative firms seeking flexibility, amenities, and wellness-focused design.

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Working within a very economical budget and utilizing a significant amount of prefabrication, the exterior of both towers is designed around two basic details that each respond to their solar orientation. Extensions of the floor slabs at every fourth floor support a series of vertical fins that together create a deep, protected façade with larger expanses of glazing along the north and south of both towers. In contrast, the east and west facades of both towers feature larger self-shading, inflected panels with narrow glazing, protected against the direct summer morning and late afternoon sun. These, along with other simple and common-sense strategies, have the project on track for LEED Gold certification.