The Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering opens on the University of Washington campus
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Since 2003, the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering has grown considerably. The program outgrew the existing 165,000 sf building and found itself needing more space.
Enter the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering. Designed by LMN Architects, the 140,000-sf facility expands the current capacity of the school and provides research spaces, classrooms and lecture spaces, faculty offices, and a new home for the School’s undergraduate majors. A central, naturally-lit atrium provides visual and physical connections to all the floors and acts as the school’s central hub. At the roof-level, an event center will support a wide range of educational needs, industry collaborations, and outreach functions. A cafe activates the primary entry and acts as a transition between the exterior landscape to the central atrium.
The building’s exterior features a two-sided curving form that responds to the site’s topography and the flow of campus circulation. The building’s facade system of terra cotta panels in four texture types acts as a juxtaposition against the modern black glass and metal.
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The completed project is targeting LEED New Construction Silver.