New Allied Health Center at Bates Technical College
Creating a Cohesive Campus
Marking the start of a new chapter for Bates Technical College in Downtown Tacoma, the new Center for Allied Health Education will enhance the aging Downtown Campus, which was first built in the 1940s and last updated in the 1980s.
Construction was approved for the $43.7 million Center for Allied Health Education in the 2018 legislative session to expand and reinvest in healthcare education throughout Washington State. “Our whole community will benefit from having well-trained medical students ready to enter the workforce, and the new facility will help support this goal,” said Dennis Flynn, DES project manager. The project included the demolition of the 1970s-era West Annex to make way for a modern learning facility with a new main entrance near Earnest S. Brazill creating a more connected campus.
AHBL provided civil engineering and land surveying services from its Tacoma headquarters. Complexities of the Downtown Tacoma project site included the documentation of a vacated right-of-way (ROW) that intersected the project site, as well as relocating displaced parking after the West Annex was demolished.
Careful coordination to support the “commuter campus" was considered when designing the Center’s frontage improvements. AHBL worked with Pierce Transit to enhance and retain the location of the existing bus stop on Yakima Avenue S & S 13th Street to serve students, faculty, and staff that commute by bus. Additionally, new driveway drops and curb ramps were developed along S 13th Street and Yakima Avenue, as well as Earnest S. Barzill Street to enhance vehicular and pedestrian safety along the perimeter arterials.
The design-build delivery method has helped the project meet its completion date, August 2021, even amidst uncertainty with COVID-19. Todd Sawin, AHBL Civil Principal, credits the collaborative and communicative design environment fostered by design-build managed projects. Real time costing throughout the project helped the project team navigate City of Tacoma directed design alterations and vet design alternatives quickly as a comprehensive team.
"One of our points of pride is offering unparalleled allied health education, and we are thrilled to continue to transform the lives of our students and contribute to our burgeoning health care industry.”
Dr. Lin Zhou
President of Bates Technical College
AHBL looks forward to the completion of the new 64,000 SF Center of Allied Health Education that will enhance healthcare education opportunities throughout the Puget Sound region and the greater Tacoma area!
Sources:
http://www.ftemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FTE-02-21.pdf