Seattle University has the only campus in Washington state designated an official backyard sanctuary for wildlife. Shady tree-lined malls, colorful Japanese gardens, and rare, exotic plants serve as homes and havens for birds, squirrels, and the occasional raccoon. The renowned landscaping is maintained in an environmentally friendly way that relies on beneficial insects instead of pesticides.
A wave of new construction complements the verdant landscape. Over the last few years we've refurbished or built new facilities for every academic department, from engineering to the arts.
Seattle University's new showcase for theatre and musical performances is the Lee Center for the Arts, a gleaming 11,000-square-foot building seating 135. This modern, up-to-the-minute space includes a prop room, dressing room and costume shop, and support for professional lighting and sound booths that provide students career-building technical skills.
Our 64,000-square-foot Student Center demonstrates the way all our buildings will be built in the future using eco-friendly design and materials. In 2005, working in conjunction with Seattle City Light, four of our senior engineering students equipped the building with solar energy—a unique project that will pay for itself in 25 years. The building's own center is called the "Hearth," a massive atrium and fireplace where students socialize, study, and access services in a plush atmosphere focused on developing student community.
The Pigott Building, home to the Albers School of Business and Economics, features classrooms specifically designed to enhance student interaction and access to high-tech teaching equipment, while creating comfortable spaces to study or continue a classroom debate. The building is wired throughout with public network connections for laptops, and the state-of-the-art Murdock e-Lab features the latest computing equipment. The three-story Paccar Atrium anchors the building with a light-filled space where students gather with classmates or study over a freshly steamed latte.
After 111 years, the Garrand Building looks better than ever following a complete renovation that preserves the beauty and stature of this historic structure. Furnished with two clinical practice rooms and a suite of laboratories, it is home to the College of Nursing. While Garrand links the College of Nursing to Seattle University's beginnings, the clinical performance laboratory at the James Tower Life Sciences Building, part of the Swedish Medical Center's Providence campus, links it to the future. The $3 million, 20,000-square foot space laboratory represents one of the most technically advanced clinical laboratories in the country and enhances patient care and safety by training nursing students with the latest health care equipment in a real-life health care environment.
Seattle University's Wellness and Sports Performance Center, a facility and program that promotes physical well-being and enhances sport skills, is also located in the James Tower. This center is a new and innovative partnership between Seattle University, Swedish Medical Center's Cardiovascular Wellness Institute, and Technogym, a manufacturer of exercise equipment.
The Chapel of St. Ignatius, the university's spiritual center, is an unusual and riveting structure. The understated but elegant award-winning architecture evokes a contemplative environment that draws the faithful and the curious to prayer.
These buildings and the chapel border the Quad, an open space where students listen to the soothing water flowing from the Centennial Fountain, lie back and read in the sunshine, meet friends and savor the change of seasons.
