The Link building is an 8,000 sf. mixed-use office-retail environment located in the heart of the Phoenix Cultural District. The Phoenix Studio of Shepley Bulfinch was hired to design a renovation of an existing single-use building into a dynamic mix of space for an architecture firm, café, and three leasable executive office spaces. Held up by a remarkable steel superstructure and precast hollow-core floor planking, the building was stripped down to its primary materials and reconfigured to allow 3 additional street-front entryways. After reconfiguring the entire west elevation, cutting in a stairwell for second level access, and extending a view balcony over the sidewalk, the building was outfitted with unique tenant improvements in each leasable space. As a microcosm of the unique urban setting that is growing in downtown Phoenix, the building has stabilized the pedestrian corridor between the Phoenix Art Museum, Central Library and the light rail stop only one block away.

Building Reuse:
The Link building extends the use of an existing 1950’s era 2-story office building in the heart of the Phoenix Cultural District. The existing structural shell coupled with high performance interventions returns this building back into the existing building stock well suited for the 21st. century. By reusing the structure, a significant reduction in construction waste was achieved, reducing the volume of debris sent to the landfill as well as a considerable reduction in the impacts of material extraction, production and transportation normally associated with new construction. In opposition to the ‘slash and burn’ development mindset that characterizes the city, the Link boldly chooses to preserve the Cultural identity of the building façade and neighborhood while re-purposing the building for the future.