Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Arizona

Sonoran Landscape Laboratory

  • 11/01/13
University of Arizona

PHOTOS © TEN EYCK LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, INC. / PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL TIMMERMAN

To further its mission, the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) at the University of Arizona in Tucson built a new expansion facility that allows students from all three design disciplines (architecture, landscape architecture and planning) the opportunity to work side-by-side in an integrated studio environment.

The site also performs as an ongoing laboratory and demonstration facility for sustainable design in the arid southwest. The new building provided an opportunity for Ten Eyck Landscape Architects to create a high-performance landscape functioning as an outdoor classroom and an entry plaza gathering space. The Sonoran Landscape Laboratory exemplifies the sustainable strategies of water harvesting and reuse, climate regulation, air and water cleansing, all in a thriving desert habitat within an urban campus context.

At the entry plaza, a perforated metal bridge allows water to flow through the space. An accessible, sunken outdoor classroom of permeable stabilized granite provides a place for student study, building projects and gathering.

A vine-covered scrim helps to shade the southern exposure of CALA’s addition while an 11,000-gallon tank collects storm water, gray water and HVAC condensate to support the native garden, resulting in an annual water savings of 86 percent.

The project increased the biomass of the site by 50 percent. The resulting urban wildlife habitat has attracted many species of birds, including hawks searching for ground mammals and reptiles in the garden. The pond is home for endangered fish and is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Safe Harbor urban site.

The project won a National ASLA Honor Award, an Arizona ASLA Award of Excellence and an Arizona ASLA President’s Award

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.