DPR Construction celebrated the start of construction for Arizona State University at Mesa City Center, the $73.5 million academic building on the university’s new campus set just east of Phoenix. Located downtown in the City of Mesa’s growing innovation district, the three-story building will be home to the ASU Creative Futures Laboratory and serve more than 750 students and faculty.

The 117,795-sq.-ft. facility will house programs that train students to work with emerging technologies including augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and 3D design. The space is expected to enable students to hone their digital expertise and prepare for jobs within the region’s growing technology sector.

“We’re excited to continue our relationship working on world-class facilities with ASU, especially in this location in the downtown Mesa. We’ve witnessed the tremendous growth and energy that has developed in downtown Phoenix after the projects we’ve worked on with them and are looking forward to the same in downtown Mesa,” said DPR project manager Austin King.

The facility will house a 2,800-sq.-ft. enhanced immersion studio where users can create augmented realities and map virtual spaces onto physical environments. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2021.