They’re demolishing 2 buildings at a Tacoma college. Here’s the $39M project to replace them
Next week, Tacoma Community College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its Center for Innovative Learning and Engagement – the campus’ newest building aimed at collaborative learning.
The Center for Innovative Learning and Engagement is a $39.3 million-dollar project funded by the 2023 Washington State Legislature. The three-story, 51,000-square-foot building will replace buildings 10 and F1 and house the college’s business, humanities and social sciences programs. The building will have regular classrooms and offices as well as an anthropology lab, a mock courtroom, a covered outdoor classroom and collaborative learning spaces on each level.
“This building gives the faculty an opportunity to be there, right on the spot with the students and with the other faculty who are teaching the same students that they’re teaching,” said Rachel Payne, Tacoma Community College senior communications specialist. “It’s really meant for more collaborative learning, and the chance to do things that we couldn’t do in those two buildings as they were.”
Payne said the Center for Innovative Learning and Engagement’s design will be more open-concept than the buildings it’s replacing. It will also be more sustainable, meeting at least LEED Silver standards. Plans for the building include efforts to reduce the building’s carbon footprint, rooftop solar panels and landscaping with native plants and visible rainwater management.
The college said it would allocate $15.6 million of the work to companies owned by women, minorities or veterans.
“It’s going to be a great space for our students,” Payne said.
The building is set to open in January 2025. In the meantime, construction will continue through the summer from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and might be extended to 5:30 p.m. on some days. The area around Building 10 has been fenced off from the main campus walkway to the sidewalk on Mildred Street, and Parking Lot D has been enclosed and will be used as a staging area, but all Mildred Street entrances will remain open.
The groundbreaking ceremony occurs on Aug. 3 from 4-5 p.m. at the construction site and in the Campus Commons. More information about the project and construction updates can be found on Tacoma Community College’s website.
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 5:15 AM.
