The School of Natural Resources and Environment is located in the Samuel T. Dana Building on the northeast corner of the University of Michigan diag on central campus. Prior to SNRE's residence in the building, it was used for nearly 60 years as a medical training facility. In 1961, the West Medical Building was renamed in honor of SNRE's first dean, Samuel Trask Dana, and SNRE - then the School of Natural Resources -- moved in.

The Dana Building recently underwent a major renovation. Its hundred-year-old infrastructure was upgraded and both classroom and office spaces were added. All facets of the renovation were performed with a sharp eye towards environmental responsibility. Everything from scrap disposal to finishing materials demonstrated cutting-edge environmental -- or "Green" -- practices.

In addition to classrooms and offices, the Dana Building contains several special student spaces. A Campus Computing Site is on the second floor with 26 general use computer stations. A student commons, currently under renovation, occupies the main floor covered courtyard. The commons is a favorite place for students to study, sleep or hang out between classes. Other academic facilities include an aquatics lab, a terrestrial ecosystems lab for soil analysis, an environmental spatial analysis lab, and three landscape architecture studios. The Dana Building also houses the Program in the Environment, an undergraduate interdisciplinary partnership with the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Several environmental research centers are based in the Dana Building. The Center for Sustainable Systems weds engineering and environmental analysis to improve industrial processes for societal needs. The Environmental Justice Program addresses inequities arising from environmental, social and political decision making. The Ecosystem Management Initiative promotes sustainable natural resource management through research and outreach. The Erb Environmental Management Institute studies the environmental intersection of business, government and non-profit organizations and collaborates with students in the joint M.S. (SNRE) / M.B.A. program.