Among the program requirements of this 12,500 square foot, two-story facility was the expression of The Nature Conservancy’s prime objective: preservation of the natural environment through creative and pragmatic means.  The building is the major element of a campus that includes a dance studio designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, a small adobe residence, a large circular garden and areas of undisturbed desert.   The building has been designed to harmonize with its natural surroundings, and with the existing building on the site.  An open courtyard built around two large existing mesquite trees forms the heart of the building.

Elements include a triangular reception / conference center, a two-story gallery/circulation spine and office suites for six departments. The client will realize energy savings through daylighting, operable windows and 15 separate air conditioning zones. A permeable, natural rock paving system was proposed and accepted as an alternative to asphalt by the City of Tucson.

Winner of the 2001 Sonoran Institute, Building from the Best of Tucson, Award for Appropriate Regional Architecture