The University of Wisconsin-Madison requested close to $2 billion in funding toward campus capital projects over the next six years.
According to the UW System 2023-29 Capital Plan, approved Aug. 8 2022, UW-Madison’s request includes $1.2 billion for new capital projects and $782 million for renovations. Requested funding toward demolitions between this period totals $3 million, and demolition funding was requested for implementation between 2027 and 2029, according to the plan.
“Our aging portfolio continues to pose [mission] risks,” UW-Madison Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M) Cindy Torstveit said at a Feb. 8 Board of Regents Capital Planning and Budget Committee meeting.
At UW-Madison, risk to the mission includes older buildings without the mechanical or electrical capacity to support the needs of equipment detrimental to the student experience, according to Wilson.
Renovations and buildings requested at UW-Madison included:
- A Camp Randall sports center replacement at $285 million
- A replacement engineering building at $347.3 million
- Music Hall restoration at $39.8 million
UW System capital requests included:
- Instructional Space Projects at $46.6 million
- Minor Facilities Renewal Projects at $90 million
- Central Plan and Utility Distribution Repairs, Renovations, and Replacements at $149 million
UW-Madison is conducting an ongoing facility condition assessment of more than 400 university buildings from consultant group Gordian, which found that 65% of the university’s built portfolio is more than 25 years old in renovation age, Wilson said.
“When a building is renovated, its age resets. A great example of this is Sellery Hall,” Wilson said. “With the completion of its recent improvements, a building that is 61 years old now has a renovation age of less than a year due to its renewal.”
The analysis found more than 40% of UW-Madison’s built portfolio is over 50 years old in renovation age.
Buildings over 50 years old demonstrate “[past due] life cycles of major building components” and pose failure threats and the highest risk to the university’s mission, Torstveit said.
UW-Madison holds an approximate $2.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance for preventive and unplanned maintenance, Torstveit said at the Capital Planning and Budget Committee meeting.
“UW-Madison has been regularly performing both types of maintenance on our buildings,” Wilson said. “We have increased the amount of preventive maintenance we have completed to help address our deferred maintenance.”
According to the UW System 2023-29 Capital Plan, the 2023-25 fiscal year contained the highest requested funding system wide in the last decade, with the number topping $1.6 billion.
