A Look Inside the New ENR2

Sept. 14, 2015

The much-anticipated Environment & Natural Resources Phase 2 building officially has opened its doors. A variety of community members, from University of Arizona leadership to elected officials to students and faculty, attended the dedication festivities.

"Much like the ecosystems in the desert Southwest, the University of Arizona is an ecosystem with many different facets that are interdependent on one another," said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. "The work that will take place at the ENR2 building represents the very best of our University."

UA Planning, Design & Construction — along with GLHN Architects & Engineers, Richard+Bauer Architecture and Hensel Phelps Construction Co. — set out to create a building that fused Southwestern U.S. design influences with cutting-edge sustainability initiatives.

As many as 2,400 people can flow through the ENR2 building at any time, and ENR2 lead architect Jim Richard wanted to make it memorable for each person who enters the man-made slot canyon.

"In a word, our goal was to create a building that was iconic," said Richard, a UA alumnus.

Here are five of the most interesting aspects about the UA’s greenest building, already known to some as the "hummingbird building" in honor of its first residents. 

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