Market Street at DC Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona

From Archiplanet

37-acre mixed-use neighborhood center incorporating commercial, office, and retail uses among 15 uniquely designed buildings.

The Circle West team worked closedly with DMB Inc. to craft a design vocabulary to respond to the Sonoran Desert environment while utilizing building materials in an authentic and appropriate manner. Each of the 15 uniquely designed buildings, organized around a single "Main Street", create an emotional connection with the user, while providing flexible open spaces for future tenants as dictated by the Client. The building designs take into consideration the harsh desert climate by integrating durable building materials, such as concrete, steel, stone and adobe with deep roof overhangs, and a native, low-water use plant palette.

The 37-acre project site, located in a designated FEMA flood plain, provided a unique design challenge. The site plan configuration and building design accommodate "drainage friendly" corridors for potential future flood waters, and flood-proofing systems to protect the structures and their occupants from water damage.

The design approach for Market Street building upon the heritage of the land (both real and imagined) and has resulted in the highest level of creativity based on truths rather than on sales slogans. As a result, Market Street stands out among the all-too-similar crowd of commercial centers as a truly unique, pedestrian oriented, neighborhood center with strong ties to the surrounding community and the magnificent desert environment.