College of Built Environments

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The College of Built Environments (CBE) is the architecture and urban planning school at the University of Washington in Seattle. It offers programs in architecture, construction management, landscape architecture, real estate, and urban planning. The college has five core units: Architecture/Architectural Design, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Real Estate, and Urban Design & Planning. It also hosts interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs and several centers and institutes.

History in brief: The school began in 1914 as the Department of Architecture within the College of Fine Arts. City planning was added in the 1940s. It became the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1957. By 1961 Architecture and Urban Planning were separate departments, and Landscape Architecture and Building Construction were added in the 1960s. The Real Estate program joined in 2017 as the Runstad Department of Real Estate, and a Ph.D. in the Built Environment was established in 2003. In 2009, the college adopted its current name to reflect an integrated approach to planning, design, and construction.

Facilities and resources: CBE is housed in Gould Hall (named after Carl F. Gould) and Architecture Hall, with additional smaller buildings. It features Fabrications Labs, the Digital Commons, the Visual Resources Collection, and the Built Environments Library on Gould Hall’s third floor.

Degrees and certificates: The five departments offer degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, construction management, urban planning, and real estate. The college offers a college-wide Ph.D. in the Built Environment and participates in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Planning. It also offers two cross-department certificates: Urban Design and Historic Preservation.

Leadership and governance: The college is led by an interim Dean, Ken Yocom, with associate deans and an executive committee. The Dean is advised by the College Council (a faculty council) and supported by a college-wide Staff Council and Student Council. The Be is the official website be.uw.edu.