As the UW Tower — formerly known as Safeco Tower — continues to accommodate 2,000 employees, the 22-story office building remains a mystery for the majority of students on campus.

University employees are moving in at a rapid rate, meeting a schedule that John Seidelmann, senior facilities planner of the Capital and Space Planning Office, described as aggressive.

From now until January some changes are still expected to occur.

Timeline of operation

The UW bought the tower from Safeco for $130 million in September 2006. Seidelmann pointed out that this amounts to a third of the cost of constructing a new building like it.

Tower occupation began in February 2008. In January 2009, the tower will be fully utilized. Currently, 75 percent of the space has been occupied.

Despite a no-food policy and the difficulties of integrating departments that used to be dispersed around the Seattle area, the transition to the UW Tower has gone well.

“It is filling up,” said Norm Arkans, UW vice president of media relations and communications. “A lot of folks moving in are related to the health sciences.”

The UW Medical Center (UWMC) is one of the largest occupants, utilizing six floors of the tower.

Scheduled to arrive in a couple of weeks is the UW Alumni Association.

Most of the groups occupying the tower, such as the UW Educational Outreach and the UW Press, come from downtown Seattle and Northgate. Campus organizations are also a source of employees in the tower.

This leaves room on campus for more student-focused groups, Seidelmann said.

Changes, goals and funding

So far, campus changes have been minor. The ACC Building, which previously housed UW Technology, welcomed the arrival of the Joint Institute of the Study for the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO). Some units from Schmitz Hall are moving onto campus as well; the Vice Provost for Student Affairs will now be in Gerberding Hall.

Although a message to the UW staff from President Mark Emmert in 2006 indicated that freeing up space on campus was a major goal, this has not actually been a priority. Seidelmann estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 square feet are now available in various campus buildings, a far cry from the 300,000 square feet of rental space now vacated in Downtown Seattle and Northgate.

The primary goal has been the consolidation of UW employees from off-campus areas; they previously worked in spaces where rent was paid to the outside market.

“Instead of paying rent to some landlord out there, now the rent is being paid to the UW,” Arkans said.

This is the main source of funding for the purchase of the tower. The consolidation of rents is especially important because rent within the tower will not be subject to the price fluctuations of the outside market.

“Over time we will save money because the rents are stable,” Seidelmann said.

He described the purchase as a long-term opportunity.

The UW is gleaning additional funding from the state and some self-sustaining research groups. The purchase of the tower does not increase tuition for UW students.

In addition to the tower itself, the UW purchased several surrounding buildings and parking lots. The use of these spaces is yet to be determined, but they are not sitting idle.

Temporary occupancy

According to UW Tower Properties Planning Advisory Committee meeting notes, the 29-unit residential building known as the “Collegiana” will be temporarily used for UWMC patient family housing. The UW is renting the parking lots to the University District Parking Association and a Mazda dealership.

These areas may be developed by the UW in the future, but no long-term plans yet exist.

Reach contributing writer Robin Kallsen at development@dailyuw.com.