Since before Arizona became a state, the University of Arizona has served as a center for learning and discovery, over time becoming a leader in scientific research and space exploration. From the 1891 opening of Old Main, the Tucson school’s first building, to the more than 800 buildings and over 19 million sq ft of space it now has, the university’s planning, design and construction department shapes the vision for campus growth, functionality and aesthetics.
With more than 51,000 current students, the university has an ever-growing need for new state-of-the-art facilities. “But at the same time, we need to reinvest in some of the old buildings that we have, as the oldest campus in the state, to get more utilization,” says Peter Dourlein, university architect and associate vice president of planning, design and construction.