- d
1. Background
The University of Washington’s mission to preserve, advance, and disseminate knowledge includes teaching, research, and community service elements, all of which are consistent with the continued careful stewardship of historic structures and other assets within the boundaries of the UW Seattle campus. Assuring continued achievement of the objectives of the University and the community, while at the same time preserving our valued historic legacy, requires establishment of a process for the identification, analysis, evaluation, and designation of such assets and the implementation of steps to prevent or appropriately mitigate their loss or damage.
2. Delegated Authority and Responsibility
Except as specifically retained by the Board of Regents, the University President has been delegated broad responsibility and authority over capital projects, including decisions affecting historic structures. On the basis of that delegated authority, the Provost and the Senior Vice President for Planning and Management, and their respective subordinate units (including the Office of the University Architect and the Capital Projects Office), are assigned the following responsibilities:
- Ensuring compliance with the University’s historic preservation process as described in the Campus Master Plan (CMP).
- Preparation and appropriate consideration of Historic Resource Addenda (HRAs), as required in the CMP, for any project that makes exterior alterations to a building over 50 years old, or which is adjacent to a building or a significant campus feature over 50 years old, and other public spaces as identified in the CMP.
- Ensuring that important elements of the campus’s buildings and structures, its historical character and value, environmental considerations, and landscape context are appropriately valued and appropriately preserved and/or documented.
- Ensuring that improvements, changes, and modifications to the built physical environment are reviewed for impacts on historic buildings and features, guided by HRAs as appropriate, and that recommendations based on such analysis be clearly documented, and applied in project planning, design, and construction.
3. Review and Guidance
In carrying out the foregoing historic preservation protocol, the following reviewing bodies shall assist in implementing the review of actions with potential impacts on historic properties on the UW Seattle campus, by supporting the review of actionable historic preservation issues. For each project, the pertinent reviewing body will be provided with the HRA, project information (including programmatic requirements) and with any initial recommendations by the University Architect, University Landscape Architect, and the Environmental Land Use and Compliance Officer. The pertinent reviewing body will then make recommendations and suggest solutions and mitigation regarding historic values as follows:
A. Design Review Board
The University’s Design Review Board is charged with reviewing minor capital repairs and renovations. The Design Review Board is an internal body which includes the following members:
- UW Facilities Associate Vice President and other staff
- University Architect (may delegate to staff architect)
- University Landscape Architect
- UW Environmental Land Use and Compliance Officer
- UW Grounds Maintenance staff
- UW Information Technology staff
- UW Environmental Health and Safety Department staff
- UW Capital Projects Associate President and other staff
The Design Review Board will review the project and identify any additional concerns regarding historic values not identified in the project documents, as well as possible solutions and mitigation. Recommendations regarding historic preservation measures to be incorporated in the project will be forwarded to the Senior Vice President for Planning and Management, or his or her designee.
B. Architectural Commission and Landscape Advisory Committee
The University Architectural Commission (UWAC), and the University Landscape Advisory Committee (ULAC) are charged with reviewing projects whose scope makes major contributions and/or changes to the University’s campus setting and design through a new building, building renovation, and/or site development, and will consider mitigation of impacts to historically significant structures and open spaces.
The UWAC consists of the following members:
- University Architect (ex officio)
- University Landscape Architect (ex officio)
- One or more private architects and one landscape architect of renown both locally and nationally, not otherwise affiliated with the University
- The Dean of the College of Built Environments
- The Chair of the Faculty Council on University Facilities and Services or designee
- A University student representative
The ULAC consists of the following members:
- University Architect (ex officio)
- University Landscape Architect (ex officio)
- A private landscape architect from the community, not otherwise affiliated with the University
- A nationally-recognized private landscape architect, not otherwise affiliated with the University
- One or more faculty with relevant subject-matter expertise
- The Chair of the Faculty Council on University Facilities and Services or designee
- Other University staff relevant to the project
- A University student representative
The UWAC and ULAC hold public meetings to discuss proposed projects and identify issues and concerns, gather suggested solutions and possible mitigation, and make recommendations regarding historic issues to the Senior Vice President for Planning and Management, or his or her designee.
October 5, 2015.