2023 ENR Northwest Best Projects
Award of Merit, Higher Education/Research: University of Washington Tacoma Milgard Hall
Photo by Jeremy Bitterman
University of Washington Tacoma Milgard Hall
Tacoma, Wash.
Award of Merit
Submitted by: Andersen Construction Inc.
Owner: The University of Washington
Lead Design Firm: Architecture Research Office
General Contractor: Andersen Construction Inc.
Civil Engineer: AHBL
Structural Engineer: KPFF
Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer: Auburn Mechanical
Mechanical Engineer: PAE Engineers
Plumbing: Burman Plumbing
Geotechnical/Environmental Engineer: GeoEngineers
Landscape Architect: PLACE
LEED Consultant: Lensa Consulting
Lighting: Lighting Workshop
Acoustics: Tenor Engineering Group
Environmental Graphics: Studio Matthews
Mass Timber Supplier: Kalesnikoff
MEP Cloud Supplier: Overcast Innovations
Subcontractors: ASI Structures; Axiom; McKinstry; R&D Masonry; Sessler
Completed below budget and ahead of schedule in December 2022, this 54,000-sq-ft interdisciplinary building is home to the School of Business, School of Engineering & Technology and Global Innovation & Design Lab at the University of Washington Tacoma campus.
This $41.6-million design-build project highlights mass timber as a low-carbon renewable resource, supports the Pacific Northwest mass timber industry and serves as a teaching tool for engineering students. The structure was quick to erect due to sequenced trucks and simple connections, reducing schedule compared with alternative materials.
Since the structural system required no perimeter beams, the windows extend to the bottom of the CLT slab deck. Building massing was also carefully programmed relative to solar energy to reduce HVAC loads. Milgard Hall is on target for LEED Gold certification.
