North Academic Complex remains on schedule for early 2026 unveiling

The massive North Academic Complex (NAC) construction project on the Central Washington University campus has undergone significant progress this winter, and the Capital Planning and Projects team reports that the facility remains on track for completion in early 2026.

Work on the 106,000-square-foot structure along Nicholson Boulevard has been picking up over the past month, thanks in large part to some unseasonably warm weather across the region.

“Metal wall framing is progressing and the roof is on,” Capital Planning and Projects Director Delano Palmer said. “It’s looking really good, and we’re right on schedule.”

Palmer and his lead Project Coordinator Joe Chanes have been working closely with crews from Garco Construction and Opsis Architecture to keep the NAC on budget and on schedule.

The four-story LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold building — funded by the Washington State Legislature in 2023 — will be home to a large number of classes for first- and second-year students, and will soon be regarded as CWU’s preeminent academic facility.

Among the notable features found in the NAC are:

• A 240-seat TED Talks-style auditorium, complete with state-of-the-art technological capabilities
• A mock courtroom for the Law and Justice program that features a judge’s bench, witness stand, and jury panel
• A wide-open atrium space that spans the building from east to west, providing views of the central lawn to the south
• Abundant natural light thanks to atrium skylights and large-pane windows throughout
• Geothermal building heating and cooling from extraction and injection wells pumping subsurface water to the adjacent GeoEco Plant across the street, next to Nicholson Pavilion
• A full array of rooftop solar panels, reducing the need for fossil fuel-based power
• Open support beams made of cross-laminated timber sourced from local tribal nations and facilitated by Yakama Forest Products

Now that the exterior walls are in place and the building envelope is nearly complete, the next step for the project is to complete brick and metal wall panel installation. The windows have also begun to arrive on site and will soon be installed.

Palmer believes the CWU community and prospective students who are considering Central will be awed once the project is completed early next year.

“The NAC is going to be a beautiful structure inside and out, and it’s something CWU will be able to highlight to our current and prospective students for decades to come,” he said.

Not only is the NAC a visual spectacle; it’s also one of the most environmentally friendly buildings on Washington’s six public university campuses.

The two large skylights and ceiling-to-floor window panels will provide ample natural light, while the solar and geothermal energy infrastructure will help the university achieve our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Across the street from the NAC, one of two geothermal wells has been completed, while construction of the second well will begin over the next two months, once the ground unfreezes.

The completed well will be used to extract water from the Ellensburg Aquifer and deliver it to heat exchangers in the GeoEco Plant, and the second well will be used to inject water back into the aquifer.   

“The well has been formed and developed, and it’s ready to be tested,” Chanes said. “That represents a big milestone for us.”

He explained that the testing of the extraction well will take place early this month and will determine the amount of constant flow that will occur. Construction of the second well is expected to get underway by March.

“The injection well will be used to send water underground, back into the aquifer,” Chanes said, adding that crews will soon begin pouring the concrete foundation for the GeoEco Plant that will surround the two wells.

Additional milestones the team has reached include:

• Underground utility work is 90% complete
• Exterior brick installation is taking place and will continue for the next few months 
• Interior install of HVAC, electrical, and mechanical systems is ongoing the third and fourth floors; work on the first two levels has been completed
• Main mechanical equipment has been set in place in mechanical rooms on levels one and four

In addition to being one of the most environmentally sound facilities in the Northwest, CWU is proud to highlight the partnership with the Northwest tribes that provided the timber used the cross-laminated support beams.

The glulam support beams — created from wood provided by the Quinalt Tribe and facilitated by the Yakama Nation — will be fully exposed in the interior of the NAC, giving the facility a natural aura that pairs nicely with the abundant natural light.

“These cross-laminated timber beams are beautiful to look at, but they also represent a more sustainable construction method than steel,” Palmer said. “Our goal with this project and future construction projects on campus is to have a minimal impact on our earth, and using materials like these in partnership with local tribal communities allows us to be more responsible stewards of the environment.”