OVERVIEW
WHAT IS A SPACE OPTIMIZATION STUDY?
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It is a study that investigates how we can better use our existing campus spaces – including classrooms, labs, offices, study, student services, community spaces, amenities, and outdoor areas -- to support UW Bothell’s institutional vision.
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WHY NOW?
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UW Bothell issued a Campus Master Plan in 2017 and we’ve since made a lot of headway on the projects prioritized in that plan (e.g., the new STEM building, the new Residential Village). But A LOT has changed since then. It is important that we do this work now to reevaluate our old assumptions and turn some of the big new paradigm shifts we’re all experiencing into opportunities that support how and where we want to learn, study, collaborate, and engage going forward.
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WHAT IS THE SCOPE AND TIMELINE OF THE STUDY?
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We have engaged the firm MKThink to help us develop a comprehensive understanding of our current space inventory, space use profiles, and space needs. The study will also recommend a framework for development that aligns with UW Bothell’s campus vision and its criteria for success.
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The study, which kicked off in March 2022 and finishes up in August 2022, will help UW Bothell’s planning team reset its baseline planning assumptions, envision new potential futures, and re-prioritize upcoming planning, design and construction projects where it makes sense to do so.
WHAT WILL THE REPORT LOOK LIKE?
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Engaging all campus stakeholders --students, staff and faculty as well as university partners -- is an essential part of our planning process. So too is transparency. For that reason, we’ve decided to issue our ‘report’ as an interactive website instead of a static document. That enables us to engage the Bothell community in a continuous feedback loop that plugs into future planning efforts.