Engineering Equity: The Design Process and Outcomes of the University of Washington's Interdisciplinary Engineering Building

AIAU26-IAKC01

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1 LU

Live course date: 03/19/2026 | 02:00 PM

$30

Architect$30

Member Price

$45

Non-member Price

Description

Thursday, March 19, 2026 | 2-3pm ET

One of Seattle's newest buildings, the University of Washington’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building (IEB), first opened for the fall 2025 academic semester and was designed with a particular emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this session, members of the design team at KieranTimberlake will discuss how they approached the project through the lens of equity in design, the depth and rigor of research involved, and how they applied DEI principles to specific architectural decisions. The panel will also address challenges and solutions from the first phase of delivery, including compromises and adjustments that were made in response to client feedback.

Learning Objectives

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Understand how a stakeholder engagement process built on themes of equity and inclusion was structured and lead to a framework for decision making on the UW IEB.

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Understand how the outcomes of the stakeholder engagement process guided design decisions on program, placement, and character of interior spaces on the UW IEB.

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Understand the character of the interior and exterior spaces in the final built condition.

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Understand the anticipated Post Occupancy Evaluation plan for UW IEB and how it aims to measure the results of goals established at the project outset.

Presented in partnership with the Interior Architecture Knowledge Community (IAKC).

iakc

Instructors

Alex Olevitch

AIA

Alex Olevitch is a licensed architect with more than 10 years of experience championing the benefits of collaborative design processes. After graduating from Iowa State University, Alex began his career at a firm in Connecticut designing projects in Germany, Denver, Tokyo, and Seattle. His ability to facilitate communication between architects, contractors, and other stakeholders is a key factor in his projects' success, helping to foster a cohesive team dynamic that drives project innovation and resolves challenges effectively.

He currently practices as an Associate at KieranTimberlake, where he has worked on range of higher-ed facilities across the country, including at University of Washington, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

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Dane Rausch

AIA

Dane is on the Steering Committee for the AIA Interior Architecture Knowledge Community, Co-Chair of AIA Chicago’s IAKC, and design studio instructor at Columbia College Chicago. He has more than three decades experience on a wide range of project types all incorporating human-centered design focus, strategy, and brand. Dane is the Design Principal for HDR’s interior design team based in Chicago.

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