University of Washington
University of Washington Campus Space Optimization
Identifying projects to increase student time spent on campus within capital constraints
UW Bothell is a 6,000-student, 1MM SF, predominantly commuter campus north of Seattle. The University’s master plan calls for a significant expansion of academic and residential space to support an enrollment of 10,000 students with growth from 600 to 2,000 living on campus. The COVID pandemic opened up multiple possible future scenarios for campus success. The University needed to identify near and medium-term projects that will increase student time spent on campus and actualize within constrained capital budgets. MKThink analyzed the utilization of the current campus at the room level to identify low-utilization space that could be repurposed for high-value activity. Concurrently, the team worked with University leadership to define and prioritize projects that improve the campus experience without requiring the construction of new space.