Tucson, Arizona

The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (AWCIM) is the leading program for integrative medicine in the world and has developed the most comprehensive academic curriculum on the subject, educating practitioners from all over the world and offering training for medical residents, students, and health care professionals. The new facility incorporates the Center’s research on the impact of the built environment on health and wellness as well as green and sustainable design, becoming a laboratory for the research and providing real time ability to monitor the performance of the spaces and their occupants.

The design is a physical expression of the Center’s ideologies guided by site and climate, views, and resource conservation, and promotes a physical, spiritual, and emotional connection to the natural environment to demonstrate how to live and work responsibly in the arid Sonoran Desert. Materials and design elements are expressed honestly, incorporating and highlighting the efficiency, beauty, and warmth of natural materials. Response to site and climate through strategies such as daylighting, shading of windows, harvesting rainwater, and providing strong connections to nature creates a comfortable and peaceful place for users and staff.