This is a schematic design of the W Building set to open in winter 2027 at Bellevue College.
Bellevue College on Thursday celebrated the start of its newest addition — a $54-million project for arts and student innovation known as the W Building, which is set to open in winter 2027.
The W Building will serve as a hub for the Arts Department, housing workshops for sculpture, ceramics, metal, and woodworking, alongside studios for 2D design, photography, screen printing, and painting. A gallery on the second floor will provide a platform for student art, while state-of-the-art equipment in the metal and woodworking workshops promises an enhanced hands-on learning experience, Bellevue College said in a news release.
The W Building also will house digital media arts classrooms, supporting game design, visual arts, film production, and 3D modeling. A new makerspace will provide access to 3D printers, laser cutters, resin printers, and a range of high-tech equipment for students to invent and collaborate, the college said. Additionally, it will house flexible classroom and lab areas, along with a central atrium
“With a dedicated space for art and creative technology, we’re creating an environment where imagination is the limit,” Bellevue College President David May said in a statement. “This building reflects the evolving needs of our students and region, and I’m thankful to everyone who has had a part in making it a reality.”
Christopher Butler, capital project and design manager at the college, described the project as a significant enhancement that will transform the campus, adding it’s been a long time in the making.
“It will be a really beautiful, functional, and collaborative building located in the heart of campus that everyone can participate in,” he said.
The W Building will be a mix of remodeled space and new construction. About 6,116 square feet of the college’s C Building will be demolished on the north side, with 23,038 square feet taken down to the structure and remodeled. An additional 33,580 square feet of new construction will be built behind the R Building.
Seattle-based architect Mithun designed the project and Comer General Contractors of Everett will build it.
The 56,618-square-foot facility will expand the college’s total building footprint to more than 1 million square feet across its 100-acre campus. It will feature rooftop solar arrays, touchless fixtures, and other energy-efficient designs.