There’s a big construction project underway at UW Tacoma. Here’s what they’re building
Construction is underway on the University of Washington Tacoma campus.
What was previously an 80-stall parking lot will become a three-story, 55,000-square-foot building called Milgard Hall, slated to open in Fall 2022.
Located along South 21st Street, Milgard Hall will provide space for the Milgard School of Business, laboratory spaces for the School of Engineering and Technology and general classrooms.
The building has been in the works for years as UWT’s enrollment steadily increases, said UWT Chancellor Mark Pagano.
“We were already working on this project because the campus is growing so fast,” Pagano said.
Pagano, who became chancellor in 2015, said there were about 1,000 fewer students enrolled at UWT at that time than there are now. As of today, there are about 5,400 students.
This fall, the university is launching its new degree in mechanical engineering. Next fall, students can earn a degree in civil engineering.
Pagano said UWT secured $40 million from the state for the Milgard Hall project, with $10 million raised by the university and private donors. The building is named Milgard Hall in honor of James A. and Carolyn Milgard and the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundations, which donated about $8 million toward the project.
The project was originally planned to be constructed near the university’s Court 17 Residential Hall apartments, but it was determined by school leaders that location was better suited for future development of more residential units or dining hall for students. Right now there are about 300 units for student housing.
“We believe there’s demand for over 1,000 beds on campus,” Pagano said.
In its new location next to the Snoqualmie Library Building and the Prairie Line Trail, Milgard Hall will replace a portion of Cragle Parking Lot.
UWT encourages students to use public transit but has expanded parking elsewhere to accommodate visitors and students, including increased parking near The Swiss, which permanently closed during the pandemic. When construction is complete, some parking stalls belonging to the Cragle Lot will reopen.
The building itself will be constructed using cross-laminated timber, often referred to as CLT, which is a wood panel product made by gluing together layers of lumber. It has been used in Europe for decades.
Pagano said the method is a sustainable way to build Milgard Hall while sticking true to the city’s history of being the “Lumber Capital of the World.”
Pagano expects Milgard Hall won’t be the last project that expands the UWT campus.
“We believe that (Milgard Hall) will help us take our next step forward and serve the needs of the students we have on campus now, but we believe we’re going to be out of space if we’re growing at the rate we’ve had in the past,” Pagano said.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
