Mortenson Saved Millions on Kaiser Borsari Hall

The construction project at Western Washington University cut costs and accelerated the timeline by using mass timber.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Construction

Isometric editorial illustration of stacked timber beams with steel connectors, representing efficient construction methods. — Mortenson saved $2 million on the construction of Kaiser Borsari Hall at Western Washington University by leveraging prefabricated mass timber and streamlined assembly. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Mortenson saved $2 million on the construction of the $55 million Kaiser Borsari Hall at Western Washington University in Bellingham. The project, which opened in early 2025, achieved a 25 percent reduction in construction time.

Why it matters

The project demonstrates how prefabricated mass timber and early coordination can reduce both costs and timelines in large-scale academic construction. These methods allowed the team to eliminate a costly basement foundation and streamline on-site assembly.

The four-story mass timber project cost $55 million and saved $2 million compared to initial estimates. The construction timeline was reduced by 25 percent, with mass timber installation finished two months ahead of schedule.

The players

Mortenson

This is a United States-based construction and real estate development company known for managing large-scale infrastructure and institutional projects.

Western Washington University

Located in Bellingham, Washington, this public university serves as the host institution for the new Kaiser Borsari Hall facility.

The details

Construction teams utilized prefabricated timber components sourced from British Columbia and early building information modeling to reduce on-site labor and eliminate the need for a basement foundation. The design also incorporated a variable refrigerant flow HVAC system and moved the electrical room to the first floor to improve efficiency.

The Kaiser Borsari Hall project broke ground in 2023.
The building officially opened to students in early 2025.

Market Landscape

This project aligns with the growing institutional shift toward mass timber as a sustainable alternative to traditional steel and concrete. It signals a move toward modular building techniques that aim to mitigate rising labor and material expenses in the construction sector.

The use of energy-efficient systems like the variable refrigerant flow HVAC ensures long-term operational savings for the university and its stakeholders. The building’s Zero Carbon and Zero Energy certifications reflect a design standard increasingly common in new campus developments.

The takeaway

Using mass timber can significantly shorten build times while maintaining structural integrity for large facilities. This project highlights the economic benefits of choosing sustainable materials and prefabricated components in modern commercial development.