UW Population Health

KPFF provided civil and structural engineering for this 300,000 SF office and classroom building to house the UW’s new Population Health Initiative. The building supports assembly spaces for collaborative work. It also has common kitchens, eating areas, and wellness rooms. This project was delivered by an innovative Progressive DesignBuild method with a contract that implements Integrated project delivery incentives. Big Room Weekly Collaboration Meetings, Target Budget Design, Choosing by Advantage, Added Value Incentive Matrix, Pull Planning and other IPD/LEAN methods were utilized to create a team culture of open and honest communication that established a collaborative environment that produced innovation and results. This project changed the paradigm for the delivery of capital projects at University of Washington.

Risks Associated with the Project:

With the University working to assess ADA compliant access through campus, this project was tasked with providing ADA compliant connections throughout the 2.7-acre site. With much of the final condition consisting of pedestrian pavement, our close communication with the contractor was a key to skip-pouring each concrete panel to match design grades as closely as possible to avoid removing and reconstructing panels. In addition to ADA compliance, the project site needed to provide fire access through Asotin Lane and positive drainage to bio-retention planters throughout the site.