t the foot of the McDowell Mountains within the Sonoran Desert is Scottsdale, Ariz., a city that boasts an impressive 315 sun-filled days annually. Now, Storage 365 has moved in, offering secure, Class-A storage daily.

The facility, owned by Valk Properties and designed by award-winning RKAA Architects, Inc., has been described as an illusion: It has 66,900 net rentable square feet but looks impossibly small. That’s because two-thirds of it is underground, helping to keep many units naturally cool despite the desert heat.

Construction by American Eagle General Contracting included an office, breakroom, and internal loading area; it took approximately 16 months and was not without challenges. The small work site left no room for laydown yard or materials storage, and the crew had to accommodate the neighboring Medical Center’s business hours. This meant basement excavation, backfill, concrete pours, and logistics deliveries had to take place in the evening and night.

The facility celebrated its grand opening this January, unveiling an earthy exterior with stone veneers and a gabion perimeter wall to complete the desert design. With a prime location off the well-traveled AZ 101 Loop, it is leasing up fast and shows no sign of slowing down.