Underwood Family Sonoran Landscape Laboratory
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.Project Facts
- To demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, the University of Arizona pulled down its deteriorating architecture building and parking lot and replaced it with the Sonoran Landscapes Laboratory, a productive learning landscape and model of sustainable design.
- Each year, the site’s water-harvesting system collects approximately 230,000 gallons of non-drinkable wastewater from the new classroom. The system supplies 83 percent of the water needed to sustain the landscape’s plant life.
- The diverse native vegetation creates an urban wildlife habitat for many species of birds, ground mammals, reptiles, and fish, dramatically increasing biodiversity on the site.
- As a living laboratory, the landscape promotes sustainability education and research within three design disciplines - architecture, landscape architecture, and planning – helping to raise environmental awareness and stewardship.
PROJECT TYPE
- Urban
- University
- Campus
- Garden
- Grayfield
Environmental Benefits
- Cools Air Temperature
- Creates Habitat for Wildlife
- Ecologically Manages Stormwater
- Provides Shade
- Reintroduces Native Plants
- Re-uses Waste
- Salvages Materials