Tempe City Hall, Phoenix

The Tempe Municipal Building is an inverted pyramid-shaped building which serves as the city hall of Tempe, Arizona. It was designed by architects Michael Goodwin and Kemper Goodwin, and built during 1969-1971.

The first design Michael Goodwin proposed was a large concrete building, similar to Boston City Hall. The city council rejected his design. The next was a structure that terraced down the slope of Tempe Bute. The council also rejected this undersign. Goodwin came up with the idea of an inverted pyramid while in the shower. He saw how light shine across the shower door at 45-degree angles. In 1966 the Goodwin firm drew up the plans for the new municipal building.

The building's inverted pyramidal shape helps in keeping the building cool in summer and warm in winter. The ground floor comprises only 2,025 square feet (188.1 m2) of reception space, while the second floor is 5,625 square feet (522.6 m2) and the third floor 10,000 square feet (930 m2). The council chambers are in a semi-buried basement level. The building is flanked by free-standing fire stair towers. Ground was broken in 1969. The contractor selected was M. M. Sundt Construction Company of Phoenix. The building was completed in 1971 and inaugurated on October 2nd of that year.