December 22, 2022

Designs released for UW science building set for West Campus

Renderings by ZGF Architects [enlarge]

UW said the building, currently referred to as W27, will be officially named in the coming months.

On Tuesday, the University of Washington and project partner Wexford Science and Technology announced that designs are nearing finalization for a new science and research building to be built at the university's West Campus in Seattle.

The yet-to-be named, 11-story, 340,000-square-foot building will rise at 3919 University Way N.E. and will be the first new project to be completed as part of the UW's larger Portage Bay Crossing development.

The new facility is being developed, and will be managed long-term, by Wexford. The DJC reported in June that the university had signed a ground lease for the project site with the private development company as well as a lease for approximately 210,000 square feet of rental space inside the building, to be occupied by a mix of private entities and nonprofits.

ZGF is the project architect. The new building will house both academic and private research laboratories and offices — specializing in clean energy and medical science — as well as other public, nonprofit and private tenants. On the university's side, the three anchor tenants will be the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, the Institute for Protein Design, and the Brotman Baty Institute. Connect Labs by Wexford will also be located in the building. In addition, there will be public art, conferences rooms and two restaurant spaces.

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Design priorities for the project were energy efficiency and engagement with nature and the community.

A cascading open lobby and event space will welcome people into the building. UW describes the new facility as “a place for creating, connecting, and collaborating.” Design priorities are listed as energy efficiency and engagement with nature and the community. The first two floors of the property, which are referred to as the understory, will provide multiple indoor/outdoor amenity areas that are covered and shaded. The upper floors, three to 11, have a crenelated facade to both maximize views and decrease solar heat gain. Recently released renderings also show ample green space with plazas, a mid-block crossing connecting University Way Northeast and Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, large gathering areas, and improved Burke-Gilman Trail access and functionality.

The project team also includes AEI, KPFF, and Jones and Jones.

In a press release, UW said the design is currently being reviewed for permits by the city of Seattle. The project is anticipated to break ground in spring 2023 and be completed sometime in 2025. Whiting-Turner is the general contractor. The site is currently a parking lot and home to an aging 16,000-square-foot Purchasing and Accounting Building, which is slated for demolition.

Dan Dahl, David Gurry and Connor McClain with Colliers International will begin marketing Wexford's rentable portions of the project for the firm in early 2023.

In the release, UW added that the building is envisioned as a gateway into Portage Bay Crossing. UW's vision for Portage Bay Crossing is to create a place where students and faculty experts across multiple fields — including public health, clean energy, engineering, life sciences, social work, public policy, arts and humanities — can partner with business, government, nonprofit organizations and the Seattle community to solve critical challenges. The area is envisioned to include a mix of arts and culture, retail, and gathering spaces. Other Portage Bay Crossings Projects are yet to be announced.