OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Google Map (new tab)

Overview

The University of Washington planned its new Electrical Engineering / Computer Science and Engineering Building in two phases, the first completed in 1998, and the second in 2003. The first phase replaced Paul Thiry's Electrical Engineering Building erected in 1947 and 1948.

Building History

This building, constructed in two phases in 1998 and 2003, served as the fourth and fifth new homes of the University of Washington's Electrical Engineering program. Established in 1902, the program first obtained space in Science Hall (later renamed Parrington Hall), and remained here until 1910. At this time, a surplus Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) structure, the Machinery Hall, was made available to the department. It served between 1910 and 1948, when a new, purpose-built Electrical Engineering Hall, designed by Seattle architect Paul Thry (1904-1993) was erected on this site.

The Boston architectural partnership of Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood, Architects, Boston, MA, in association with local architects Mahlum and Nordfors, Architects, designed the Electrical Engineering / Computer Science and Engineering Building's first portion, completed in 02/1998. This first portion of the building contained approximately 220,000 square feet.

Seattle architecture firm LMN designed the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington; Mortenson Construction erected it. It won an 2003 Award of Excellence in the "Public/Private Project" Category from Northwest Construction.com, a web site operated by McGraw-Hill Construction. (See "Best of 2003 Washington Profiles,"accessed 06/06/2011.) The center provided space for new laboratories, offices for students and faculty, conference rooms and classrooms in various areas of computer science. A reinforced concrete frame supports the building with concrete elements left exposed. Exterior walls were clad in brick veneer, aluminum windows with zinc panels below, and sunshades. The flow of capital to build the center lagged, causing it to be put on hold for three months. Because of its large electrical loads, electrical engineering issues with the building required extra time to solve, but were completed ahead of schedule.

Building Notes

A significant art collection had been assembled in the Allen Center by Professor Hank Levy and others between 2003-2007. It contained works by artists Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976), Alden Mason (b. 1919), Akio Takamori (b. 1950), Kenneth Callahan (1905-1986), and George Tsutakawa (1910–1997), all with some affiliation to the UW.

PCAD id: 4109