October 8, 2024

UW taps Abbott/ZGF for $95M cafeteria reno

Photo from UWMC web page [enlarge]

The UW medical center plans to keep its cafeteria open for the duration of the project, scheduled to be complete by December 2027.

Yesterday, the University of Washington awarded the $95 million cafeteria renovation at its Montlake medical center at 1959 N.E. Pacific St. to design-build team Abbott Construction and ZGF Architects, both of Seattle.

A notice announcing finalist negotiations for the project ran in last Tuesday's DJC, and Charles Cummings, a project manager with the UW Facilities Project Delivery Group, confirmed Monday the project had just been awarded to the Abbott/ZGF team.

Eight design-build teams submitted qualifications for the project. The other two finalists for the project were BNBuilders/Mahlum Architects and Mortenson/NBBJ. Unsuccessful finalists will be paid honorariums of $5,000, according to the request for qualifications.

UW hopes to have design complete in December of 2025, Cummings said Monday, with work fully complete by December of 2027. The project budget is $95 million, and the target budget for the design-build contract work is $75 million, not counting state sales tax. The UW plans to use a preliminary agreement with the design-builder, and a second guaranteed maximum price contract, according to the RFQ.

As previously reported in the DJC, the university wants to modernize and update the 28,000-square-foot kitchen, servery and dining area, called the Plaza Cafe, which provides food service for UWMC patients, visitors, staff and students, and keep it open and operational for the duration of the project. The project will require a multi-phased approach, including decommissioning and “make-ready activities” to maintain kitchen operations. Work also includes a two-story addition of approximately 6,000 square feet of primarily dining area, Cummings said.

Work includes optimizing design of the space to increase efficiency; upgrading supporting mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems to meet the new design and support future enhancements; and “refreshing the dining area to provide a warm, welcoming experience for patrons,” according to the RFQ.

Also underway at UWMC Montlake is a $51 million replacement of the medical center's existing waterproofing membrane, flashings and associated systems. Skanska began construction on that project last summer and work is expected to be complete next July. LMN Architects is primary designer on that project.

UWMC Montlake is also getting a new roof and chiller, as well as waterproofing work on its ninth-floor roof. The full scope of that $19 million project is still being defined with contractor Abbott Construction, according to the UW Facilities project page, but construction is expected to be complete in March of 2025.

A new 13,000-square-foot clinic at UWMC's Outpatient Medical Center is also in the works. The Northwest Digestive Health Clinic and Endoscopy Center has an approximate cost of $17 million, and will provide procedural and clinic space for the expanded care needs of gastroenterology patients at UWMC, with eight exam rooms, four endoscopy procedure rooms, and 12 prep and recovery spaces, according to UW Facilities projects page. It will also include washing and storage, clinical support spaces, telehealth capabilities, restrooms, a breakroom, and infrastructure upgrades. Abbott Construction and NBBJ Architecture is design-builder on that project, which is slated for completion in November of 2025, according to the UW Facilities project page. (Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the name of the design-builder.)