House and Senate capital budget leaders and staff visited UW Seattle last week for a briefing on the University’s 2023 capital budget priorities and a tour of facilities. During the briefing, they learned about the UW’s long-term capital plan, energy modernization initiative, and space management strategies. They also received updates on the recently completed Health Sciences Education Building (Seattle) and Milgard Hall (Tacoma), as well as current capital projects: Interdisciplinary Engineering Building (Seattle), STEM 4 (Bothell), and the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility at UW Medical Center–Northwest.
The presentation then dove into the University’s 2023 capital budget agenda, which includes:
- $58M for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center (T-Wing) renovation and replacement. This is the primary teaching space for the UW’s six health sciences schools (Dentistry, Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, Social Work). Current facilities were constructed in the 1970s and have mostly original infrastructure with an inflexible environment that does not promote innovative, multidisciplinary learning.
- $28.9M to design and renovate Anderson Hall in Seattle. Constructed in 1925, Anderson Hall has antiquated learning environment that lacks adequate classroom and collaborative learning spaces for the UW School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences, which has seen undergraduate enrollment double in the last decade.
- $9M to design and construct phase 2 of the design of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ (Intellectual House). wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ offers a meeting place for UW Native American students, faculty, and staff and shares in the knowledge of Northwest Indigenous people. The building will bring additional support to Native American students through greater connection to their culture and community, as well as further access and retention.
- $5M to design the modernization of Chemical Sciences in Seattle. Built in 1937 and 1957, current facilities for Chemistry, Material Science, and Chemical Engineering are overwhelmed by student demand and program constraints and do not meet the requirements for interdisciplinary, modern science education and research.
- $7.7M for land acquisition at UW Tacoma. The UW Tacoma seeks funding to acquire strategic real estate parcels within the 46-acre campus footprint as they become available for purchase to use them to the benefit of the campus community.
- $13M for the behavioral health renovation of UW Medical Center-Northwest. This project creates a voluntary adult behavioral health facility that will be part of the behavioral health training program for multidisciplinary care teams.
For detailed information about the UW’s 2023 capital budget requests, see our decision packages on the Washington State Office of Financial Management website. The UW Office of State Relations will also release a summary of the University’s capital and operating budget priorities prior to legislative session.
After the briefing, legislators and staff toured the UW’s new Health Sciences Education Building, the T-Wing, and Anderson Hall. They also walked by the proposed site of the future Chemical Sciences facility.
A huge thank you to Senator Mark Mullet and Representatives Steve Tharinger and David Hackney, as well as Michael Bezanson, Kristen Fraser, John Wilson-Tepeli, and Alec Osenbach, for visiting the UW and for your support!