College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Engineering Education and Research Building

 

EERB Overview
The project included construction of a new engineering facility north of Lewis Street between 11th and 12th streets. Part of UW’s Tier-1 Engineering Initiative, the project was intended to provide new spaces for modern instruction and research, including a new shop and student project areas; teaching and computer labs in an active-learning configuration; reconfigurable research labs with associated office and collaborative spaces; meeting/conference rooms; and an expanded drilling simulator facility.

Designers and planners ensured this facility was very “student oriented,” with a variety of learning spaces and collaborative work stations.

EERB Stats
Square footage: 100,000
Number of floors: Four (five with mechanical penthouse)
Number of educational spaces: 150
Daily student occupation: 200-300
Total cost: $105 million ($75 million in state appropriations, $15 million in projected private donations, and $15 million in state-matching funds)

The major players
Lead Design Firm: ZGF Architects (Seattle)
Other Design Partners: Malone Belton Abel (MBA) and GSG Architecture
Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR)/General Contractor: GE Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Note: ZGF associate partner and lead designer/project manager Corinne Kerr is a UW architectural engineering graduate.

The timeline
Prep work included earth moving, movement or removal of water, power, conduit lines and a lengthy process of acquiring property. Some environmental remediation was required, along with normal site preparation and clearing.

• Public groundbreaking: Oct. 7, 2016
• Construction formally underway: Oct. 17, 2016
• Construction period: About 28 months
• Completion date: Access was handed over February 2019, with classes and research beginning in fall 2019