March 27, 2019

Gates computer science building opens at UW

Photos by Tim Griffith [enlarge]

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering has opened at the University of Washington Seattle campus.

LMN Architects designed the 138,760-square-foot building for undergraduate and graduate students.

The center is on six floors at 3800 E. Stevens Way N.E. It has three classrooms, four seminar rooms, a lecture hall, undergraduate commons, advising suite, Capstone workrooms, graduate workrooms, robotics laboratory, artificial intelligence laboratory, 250-seat auditorium, faculty offices and a cafe. There's also a roof-level event center to support educational needs, industry collaborations and outreach functions.

The $110 million project deliberately mixes classrooms, offices and workrooms to encourage students, researchers and faculty to talk and exchange ideas. In a press release, LMN said a central atrium is at its heart, providing visual and physical connections to all floors, and acting as the school's cultural hub.

The building has a two-sided curving form that LMN said “responds to the unique topography and flow of campus circulation.” It said the facade system of terra cotta panels in four textures juxtaposes against crisp, modern black glass and metal, providing sun shading.

The building is designed to foster a connection to the broader campus community. The cafe activates the primary entry at Stevens Way, and a shared plaza continues through stepped elevations offering entries along the north side of the building.

The building is across from the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering, which LMN also designed.

The project team includes Mortenson, GC/CM; Magnusson Klemencic Associates, civil and structural engineer; Affiliated Engineers, MEP engineer; Stantec, electrical engineer and acoustical and AV consultant; Olin Partnership, landscape architect; and Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design.

The nuclear reactor building once stood on the site of the new center.