UW Bothell, Cascadia College unveil $79M Innovation Hall

University of Washington Bothell and collocated community college Cascadia College on Thursday unveiled their new 80,000-square-foot Innovation Hall, which will open to students in January.

The building, located at 18330 110th Ave. NE in Bothell, cost $79 million, according to the institutions. The two colleges each received about $40 million from the state in 2019 to build their own science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) facilities, but high construction costs forced the two to collaborate on a shared building.

“This collaboration with Cascadia College is a game-changer for students at both of our institutions,” Leslie Cornick, dean of UW Bothell’s School of STEM, said in a news release. “Students and faculty will have increased opportunities and cutting-edge facilities to collaborate and create new knowledge."

Innovation Hall will host classes in biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, and electrical and mechanical engineering. It houses labs, offices and classrooms, and related programs at each college will be close to each other. The colleges said in the release the shared spaces will foster collaboration.

The project was designed by architecture firm Mithun and built by Lease Crutcher Lewis, both based in Seattle.

UW Bothell offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, according to its LinkedIn page. It has almost 6,000 students and over 350 faculty members. Cascadia College, meanwhile, had more than 2,000 students in the fall of last year.

“Cascadia students will have the opportunity to interact with their peers and see themselves continuing their education at UW Bothell,” Kristina Young, dean for student learning at Cascadia College, said in the release. “By engaging with faculty and staff from both institutions, students will expand their horizons and connections.”

Innovation Hall is the newest building for the University of Washington system. Last year, UW opened the 85,000-square-foot Founders Hall on its flagship Seattle campus. The five-story mass timber building is part of UW's Foster School of Business, and it replaced Mackenzie Hall, which was demolished in 2020. It was the first building at the school made from cross-laminated timber.