UW Innovation Arena

[westwardloo]

Unfortunately UW has cheeped out big time with this project. Diamond Schmidt's original design was actually a beautiful looking building (other then the giant parking lot that will be in front of it). Must be so frustrating for the Architecture team to try to design a unique space that will both look good and be functional just to have a client pull the plug financially. Having seen the original proposal, this one will always be a lost opportunity in my mind.

[ac3r]

Par for the course here. Why have nice things when you can have awful things instead?

[bravado]

Par for the course here. Why have nice things when you can have awful things instead?

Nice things are what past generations built for us to enjoy… the future never did nothin’ for me!

[taylortbb]

Par for the course here. Why have nice things when you can have awful things instead?

I think in this case UW managed to raise less money for this project than they hoped, so what was there to do? Keep it paused indefinitely, as construction costs increase, hoping that more funding shows up?

Also, what's the expected lifetime of this building? I feel like renovating a warehouse when you have such prime downtown land is a stopgap measure. Make the building usable for 10-20 years, and then let it get re-developed to something denser (and without the huge parking lot). Eventually UW can just have space in the podium of a tower. If that's what's going to happen there's no point in investing in something great.

[panamaniac]

Par for the course here. Why have nice things when you can have awful things instead?

Nice things are what past generations built for us to enjoy… the future never did nothin’ for me!

K-W has never had a strong tradition of architecture "for nice".

[plam]

Yeah...would have been nice for letting natural light into the building, which creates a much nicer environment for people.

I had many a lecture in RCH in my university days... UW doesn't believe in natural light!

Well, for students anyway. Almost all faculty offices have some window at least.

[tomh009]

I had many a lecture in RCH in my university days... UW doesn't believe in natural light!

Well, for students anyway. Almost all faculty offices have some window at least.

They certainly did not in the old MC days at least ...

[cherrypark]

Par for the course here. Why have nice things when you can have awful things instead?

I think in this case UW managed to raise less money for this project than they hoped, so what was there to do? Keep it paused indefinitely, as construction costs increase, hoping that more funding shows up?

Also, what's the expected lifetime of this building? I feel like renovating a warehouse when you have such prime downtown land is a stopgap measure. Make the building usable for 10-20 years, and then let it get re-developed to something denser (and without the huge parking lot). Eventually UW can just have space in the podium of a tower. If that's what's going to happen there's no point in investing in something great.

I can be absolutely certain that every science and hardware technology business moving into this new space will be jumping for joy at the amount of resources they get to build from. More money invested in equipment and the labs and workspaces inside are ultimately the biggest upside unlock vs. the architecture, as much as more of both would be ideal with costs unconstrained.

[danbrotherston]

I had many a lecture in RCH in my university days... UW doesn't believe in natural light!

Well, for students anyway. Almost all faculty offices have some window at least.

Our grad  workspace had zero windows, and we had some grad student visit for a term from...I wanna say Australia...and they said that such a workspace would be illegal in Australia...

But the bigger problem was the washroom...which was like 2 urinals and 1 stall for like I dunno...150 people at least...I always walked over the bridge to the MC...

[ijmorlan]

But the bigger problem was the washroom...which was like 2 urinals and 1 stall for like I dunno...150 people at least...I always walked over the bridge to the MC...

That is somewhat improved now, although in a strange way. 2 of the washrooms have been expanded from 2 and 1 to 1 and 3. Which doesn’t really make sense (2 and 2 would be more reasonable), but whatever.

[plam]

Well, for students anyway. Almost all faculty offices have some window at least.

Our grad  workspace had zero windows, and we had some grad student visit for a term from...I wanna say Australia...and they said that such a workspace would be illegal in Australia...

But the bigger problem was the washroom...which was like 2 urinals and 1 stall for like I dunno...150 people at least...I always walked over the bridge to the MC...

Austria seems more like it (especially given where your supervisor was from). Germans definitely have natural light requirements.

I think part of the problem with DC is that it was built for computers not people. Then they put people in. Turns out people don't have the same requirements as computers!

[nms]

MC was built for a computer. Larger workrooms were later chopped up for individual offices. DC was built with individual offices and inward facing glass doors and walls. Office users didn't like working on display so they quickly covered up the glass.

[danbrotherston]

Our grad  workspace had zero windows, and we had some grad student visit for a term from...I wanna say Australia...and they said that such a workspace would be illegal in Australia...

But the bigger problem was the washroom...which was like 2 urinals and 1 stall for like I dunno...150 people at least...I always walked over the bridge to the MC...

Austria seems more like it (especially given where your supervisor was from). Germans definitely have natural light requirements.

I think part of the problem with DC is that it was built for computers not people. Then they put people in. Turns out people don't have the same requirements as computers!

Nah, it wasn't Austria...this guy wasn't related to my supervisor...he was in another group, with Charlie I think.

But it was somewhere in Oceania.

[plam]

Austria seems more like it (especially given where your supervisor was from). Germans definitely have natural light requirements.

I think part of the problem with DC is that it was built for computers not people. Then they put people in. Turns out people don't have the same requirements as computers!

Nah, it wasn't Austria...this guy wasn't related to my supervisor...he was in another group, with Charlie I think.

But it was somewhere in Oceania.

I guess I don't even know if there are natural light requirements for offices in NZ since I don't spend much time in offices or talking to grad students here...

[dtkvictim]

Few incidental shots I got while checking on the adjacent trail. Looks like a pretty far cry from the original renders so far. Would this cladding be painted or final?