Novus Place
How can a single public space serve both as a daily retreat for the community and as a vibrant hub for large-scale events within a dense, mixed-use district?
By blending adaptable green space with flexible design elements, Novus Place functions seamlessly as both a daily retreat and a vibrant event venue.
At ASU’s Novus Innovation District, the design team answered the challenge of creating a space that serves both everyday needs and large-scale events through the Novus Place Open Space and Plaza—the district’s central gathering point. Designed as a pedestrian-first environment, the plaza integrates shaded seating, lighting, and movable furnishings to foster daily use and community interaction. At its heart, a central green framed by shade trees and a large ramada offers a welcoming retreat for students, residents, and visitors alike. The flexible layout and adaptable furnishings allow the space to shift seamlessly from casual hangouts to programmed entertainment, concerts, and community events. By uniting everyday comfort with event-scale adaptability, Novus Place anchors the district’s transformation into a vibrant, mixed-use urban hub and strengthens its identity as a cornerstone of ASU’s innovation-driven campus growth.
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Location
Tempe, AZ
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Client
Banbury Development (formerlly Catellus)
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Awards
2026 AZ ASLA Honor Award
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Photography
Jason Roehner
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Size
19 acres
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Region
Southwest
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Project Type
Urban
As the Novus Innovation District gateway, Novus Place extends the public realm through shaded plazas and promenades, integrating landscape, lighting, and signage to create a lively, human-scaled, legible campus streetscape.
Restaurant patios activate the plaza edges, while the central lawn invites informal gathering, movement, and interactive use.
Native and adapted species, permeable surfaces, and integrated seating create a resilient landscape that supports biodiversity while softening the transition between active retail frontages and public open space.
The entry plaza features desert date palms with maturing shade trees creating a comfortable micro-climate and visual buffer from Rural Road activity
