University of Arizona Old Main  - Tucson, Arizona (2010 - 2011)

Vint & Associates was commissioned by the University of Arizona in 2010 to prepare a Conservation Master Plan for Old Main, the first building built for the University. Constructed between 1887 and 1891, it is the second oldest public building in Arizona, following Mission San Xavier. Designed by the Scotts-Canadian architect James Miller Creighton, in a style often referred to as "territorial", Old Main is more correctly identified as French Colonial style with Chateauesque influnce.  Like the French buildings of 1700's Lousiana, Old Main is surrounded by a continuous 12 ft. deep porch, sheltering the building from Tucson's intense sun (which creates excessive heat gain for much of the year, from April through October). The lower floor is set three to four feet into the ground for earth sheltering and to capture cooler air that sinks into the ground floor.  It is thus Arizona's first passively cooled "Green Building". Preservation concerns include moisture infiltration, from both the roof and foundation.

Client: The University of Arizona