WWU Begins Buchanan Towers Renovation Work
Western Washington University has begun work on a two-year, $24.5 million renovation of the Buchanan Towers residence hall on south campus.
The Buchanan Towers Residence Renovation project will occur in two phases –consisting of spring and summer quarters of 2018 and 2019.
During those quarters, parts of Buchanan Towers will be closed off for the renovation work, and will not have residents living in those areas. However, residents will continue to live in other parts of Buchanan Towers not being renovated. The project is part of Western’s long-range capital plan for residence halls.
Buchanan Towers was built in 1971 and many of its building systems have reached the end of their useful life. The renovation work will: renovate residence rooms, bathrooms and kitchens; upgrade plumbing, air supply and ventilation, fire detection and alarm/mass notification, and security systems; hazardous materials abatement; replace existing interior suite/student room doors and exterior windows; cleaning, repointing and sealing exterior masonry; installation of new gutters and downspouts; and upgrading interior finishes.
The project also will provide: gender inclusive Americans with Disabilities (ADA)-compliant restrooms; several private studio living spaces, including ADA-accessible private studios; new community kitchen and floor lounge spaces; upgrades to Wi-fi hardware; and, for enhanced security, electronic access control systems for exterior doors, interior suite and bedroom doors, along with camera wire drops for future security camera installation at main entrances in both Buchanan Towers Classic and East BT.
The renovation is funded with a combination of revenue bond proceeds, current cash, and reserve funds in the University Residence system.
Spring and summer quarters typically see the fewest number of residents in Western’s residence hall system, which has a total capacity for approximately 4,100 residents. Rooms affected by the renovation work were not assigned to any residents spring and summer quarters 2018 and 2019. Residents who will continue living in areas of Buchanan Towers during the renovation work have been advised of likely construction impacts, including days and times when there will be construction noise, as well as other issues such as dust, vibrations and other inconveniences during noted work schedule hours.
Western’s Board of Trustees in February awarded Dawson Construction of Bellingham a competitively bid construction contract for the project. King Architecture of Bellingham prepared plans and specifications for the project.
The renovation work will also include work to the Buchanan Towers addition constructed on the east side of the Buchanan Towers building, which opened for residents in fall 2011. This will entail kitchens being installed along with life safety upgrades (fire alarm, mass notification, electronic access control and other security enhancements) and Wi-fi upgrades.