University of Washington Activity

New Projects Complement Campus

Careful planning means renovations and new construction on the University of Washington's Seattle campus fit comfortably into the existing atmosphere.

by Sheila Bacon

According to an old saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

The same could be said for the University of Washington's main campus in Seattle, where extensive renovations and new construction projects are taking place, but within a defined plan that seeks to preserve the nature of the campus and its older buildings.

The University follows its own "historic buildings" guidelines when renovating older structures, said Richard Chapman, associate vice-president in the UW's capital projects office. An architectural commission comprised of architecture school leaders, university representatives and select architects from throughout North America meets regularly to review project drawings and talk to the community when change is imminent.

Johnson Hall is a good example of how history is preserved. While the entire interior of this teaching facility is being gutted and rebuilt, the only change the exterior will see is the addition of an exit door at its south end.

The university is also sensitive to how new buildings compliment the existing campus layout, said Chapman. New structures are situated to respect existing view corridors to Mount Rainier and Portage Bay. The siting of the new genome sciences and bioengineering buildings west of the UW Medical Center not only retain views of Portage Bay from the main campus, but will also feature a large auditorium that captures views of the waterway.

Construction activity currently underway includes a mix of old and new, will all projects seeking to meld gracefully into the UW's campus layout.

Johnson Hall

The presence of job trailers and a chain link fence may be the only clue as to the activity underway at Johnson Hall, a classroom and science teaching laboratory facility that is undergoing an extensive interior renovation and seismic upgrade. Built in 1928 with the addition of a wing in 1948, the university has deemed Johnson Hall's ornate exterior appearance worthy of preserving. Skanska USA Building (Seattle) crews are completely gutting and rebuilding the interior of the building, adding in new mechanical and electrical systems, new elevators, upgraded restrooms and interior partitions.

Very little of the exterior of the University of Washington's Johnson Hall will change as crews upgrade the historic structure. The interior of the facility will be gutted and rebuilt, and the building will receive new mechanical and electrical systems as well as seismic upgrades. ( Photo by Sheila Bacon )

While larger restrooms and other upgrades will result in the loss of five to 10 percent of usable interior space, the new layout should make up for reduced program space.

"It will be a more efficient design than the original," said Chapman. "There are a lot of nooks and crannies that weren't being efficiently utilized."

Construction work started in April, but Skanska, as the project's general contractor/construction manager, was on board much earlier. Skanska joined Seattle architects Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami and the rest of the design team at the beginning of the schematic design phase, said Chapman, because the UW wanted a "true partnership" of all team players.

It "paid dividends" to have Skanska's input on constructability, sequencing and value engineering issues, said Chapman. The university found success with the GC/CM method during the renovation of the Suzzallo Library in 2001/02. Turner Construction of Seattle joined the design team early on to successfully complete seismic upgrades at the treasured, 80-year-old building. It was the first time the university had used the method, said Chapman, and the university's board of regents recently voted to use it again for the future renovations of Architecture Hall and Guggenheim Hall.

When the $54 million, 121,5000-sq.-ft. Johnson Hall renovation is completed in late 2006, the hall will feature classrooms, labs a large lecture hall and faculty and staff offices.

Conibear Shellhouse

The new Conibear Shellhouse, a shell storage facility and a training center for the UW's crew team, will replace the old structure that was demolished last year. The new building will feature 45,000 sq. ft. of space; considerably more than the previous 28,000-sq.-ft. structure. The shellhouse's $16.9 million price tag is being funded through the university's Intercollegiate Athletics department.

The ground level will house the storage facility and training center, while the top floor's "academic center" will be available for student athletes to study and dine.

The new Conibear Shellhouse will offer student rowers an expanded facility. The façade has been changed from the red shown here to green. ( Image courtesy of Miller Hull )

Sellen Construction (Seattle), the GC/CM, will complete construction by next March, said Todd Lee, project manager with Sellen Construction. The owner is expected to be moved in and ready to open the facility by Opening Day of boating season in early May.
With the project's location right on the edge of Lake Washington, had to install a dewatering system to remove groundwater during pile driving. Crews pumped from two feet below the water table during excavation, said Lee, and the water table is just a foot below the final slab-on-grade.

The UW crew team is continuing to launch from the dock just east of the active construction site, said Lee, requiring close coordination between both groups. Shells are being stored on temporary racks installed near the site during construction.

Merrill Hall

The Center for Urban Horticulture's Merrill Hall is rising again following the May 2001 arson that destroyed the building. The $7 million, 18,000-sq.-ft. project - funded through a combination of state funds, university monies and an aggressive fundraising campaign - will closely match the previous facility. Donations raised by the center's fundraisers will pay for a new commons area and the administrative tasks required to pursue LEED certification through the U.S Green Building Council.

The 2001 fire not only destroyed the building but also heavily damaged books - many rare - in the center's attached library. The new structure is using much of the old building's foundations and will relocate the library within the facility. When complete, it will again be used as teaching and lab space for students in the Urban Horticulture program.

CDK is the project's general contractor and Miller Hull is the architect. Construction completion of the stick-built structure is expected in September.

Bioengineering and Genome Sciences Building

Once complete, this $150 million project will consolidate the emerging bioengineering and genome sciences departments, which are currently housed in numerous locations across campus. The 265,000-sq.-ft. research and teaching building will also feature a south-facing auditorium overlooking Portage Bay.

The five-story building — attached to the existing UW Medical Center via a walkway — will open in phases. The bioengineering portion will open at the end of 2005, with genome sciences following in the first quarter of 2006.

Major program elements include wet research labs and shared support space; vivarium; seminar and conference space; and offices.

Because the building is constructed on a sloping site, it touches the grade at three different levels, which form entries at the north, midpoint and south ends. A continuous internal "street" connects these entries and, consequently, levels one, two and three. The building houses a café with an external terrace facing Portage Bay.

Approval by the board of regents is still pending to expand the West Campus Parking Garage by 300 stalls to accommodate increased activity in the south campus area. Construction job trailers currently occupy the future expansion space.