View of "connector" space in UW Tacoma's Milgard Hall, showing mass timber structural elements
A view of the ground floor "connector" space in Milgard Hall shows the warm wood tones of the mass timber columns, beams and panels. A whole-building life-cycle cost assessment found that, when compared to steel and concrete structural systems, Milgard Hall's hybrid mass-timber structural system reduced embodied carbon in the building by 70%. Photo credit Jerry Bittermann/JBSA.

Milgard Hall Recognized for Sustainability, Construction Innovation

August 18, 2023

The newest building on the UW Tacoma campus has received awards from the City of Tacoma and the Design-Build Institute of America.

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has recognized 29 building projects across the U.S. with merit awards, including UW Tacoma’s Milgard Hall. DBIA is a trade association representing the nation’s architects and builders who employ a project management method known as design-build.

At an August 2023 ceremony, the DBIA jury cited Milgard Hall’s promotion of “interdisciplinary connections that not only provide an exceptional environment for students and staff, but also support local communities and regional economic development.” The building brings together the Milgard School of Business, labs for the School of Engineering & Technology and the Global Innovation & Design Lab.

Other aspects of the project cited by DBIA are its use of a mass timber structural system including cross-laminated panels (CLT) and glue-laminated columns and beams; a layout optimizing solar energy utilization and minimizing heating, ventilating and air-conditioning loads; and exposed electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems that enhance efficiency and provide educational opportunities for engineering students.

In May 2023, the City of Tacoma Office of Historic Preservation announced that Milgard Hall is a recipient of its 2023 award for sustainability, the first year it has made an award in that category.

The award recognizes the contextual approach taken by the building’s design, linking the historic, late 19th-century and early-20th century brick warehouses that make up the bulk of the UW Tacoma campus and future projects that will be constructed as the campus grows “up the hill” within its 46-acre footprint. The award also celebrates the importance of mass timber as a low-carbon structural system.

Milgard Hall is also reportedly on target to receive a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is the most widely-used green building rating system in the world, according to the Council.

Milgard Hall on UW Tacoma campus

Milgard Hall on UW Tacoma campus. Photo credit: Jerry Bittermann/JBSA.
Written by John Burkhardt
Photos by Jerry Bittermann/JBSA
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Campus facilities
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