Nestled in the McDowell Mountains, the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine expanded its training facility to provide a complete, four-year branch program at its Scottsdale, Arizona campus. The 1990s office building was re-imagined to support an engaging and inspiring academic experience with connections to the natural environment through large, open views to the mountains. The structure was extended into the desert landscape, linking it with the interior program. The facility provides state-of-the-art classrooms, video-enhanced simulation rooms, a learning and procedural skills anatomy lab, student resources center, student commons, conference rooms and faculty administrative offices. A simple circulation system organizes the clinical, social, and academic interior programs. The program elements are intersected by a main connector spine, providing opportunities for social interaction.