UW-Madison named ‘Developer of the Year’ by Wisconsin Builder magazine

UW-Madison, which has been a hub of construction activity in recent years, has been named the “Developer of the Year” by Wisconsin Builder magazine.

“We’re pleased to be recognized for making an investment in the campus and creating a better place to learn, work and live,” says Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities at UW–Madison. “We have benefited by great, forward-looking partnerships with state government and generous donors.”

For the past several years, the campus has been in the midst of its biggest building boom since the 1960s. And construction cranes continue to punctuate the campus skyline as the 2009-10 academic years unfolds.

Following the 2005 campus master plan, historic buildings are being renovated while 1960s-era building characterized by poor construction and excessive energy use are being replaced.

Funding for these projects does not include tuition, and generally less than one-third of construction costs are supported by taxpayers, Fish says.

Caley Clinton, editor of Wisconsin Builder, says the university’s construction activity was key during these recessionary times.

“The Developer of the Year award is given to a company or institution that was the driving force behind some of the year’s most exciting and innovative projects,” Clinton says. “In this year particularly, UW–Madison was noted for keeping many members of the state construction industry working at a time when so few projects were going on.”

The award will be presented at a dinner in Waukesha later this month. The magazine will feature profiles of all of its award winners in its November issue.