UW-Madison Infrastructure Crisis: Widespread Campus Closures Will Last Weeks

A major infrastructure failure will force the University of Wisconsin-Madison to turn off air conditioning and lock the doors to dozens of campus buildings starting Tuesday, creating a massive operational crisis on the eve of a projected dangerous heatwave.

The university announced Sunday that a broken chilled water line has severely compromised the campus cooling capacity. Repairs to the critical infrastructure are expected to take at least one month.

The timing of the failure leaves the university vulnerable to extreme summer weather.

“To compound the situation, the coming week is forecast to be one of the hottest of the year, with high humidity and temperatures in the 90s,” Robert Cramer, the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, said in an official campus communication. “We recognize that this is a difficult situation and we’re doing everything we can to resolve it quickly.”

To protect critical functions, university officials began rationing the remaining chilled water capacity on Sunday. Cooling resources are being diverted to prioritize patient care, research facilities, and in-person instruction.

For 23 general campus buildings, including high-profile landmarks like Bascom Hall, Grainger Hall, and Science Hall, cooling will be terminated entirely. Those buildings will remain open on Monday, June 29, to allow faculty, staff, and students to retrieve personal items and work materials. At the end of the business day Monday, the systems will go dark. The facilities will be locked to the public on Tuesday morning, June 30.

Another 11 facilities, including Van Hise Hall, Vilas Communication Hall, and the Medical Sciences Center, will be closed to the general public but will retain partial access and limited cooling for specialized operations.

The closures will trigger widespread disruptions to the university’s Summer Term. Instructors with classes scheduled in the affected facilities are tasked with relocating their sessions and must contact students directly with new locations.

Employees assigned to the shuttered buildings are being told to coordinate alternative arrangements with their supervisors. According to the university, approved options include remote work, relocating to an open campus facility, or temporary duty reassignments.

“In rare circumstances, employees may request an exception from a supervisor or manager to allow continued work in a closed building,” Cramer said.

University officials warned that the situation remains fluid.

“We are continuing to assess the situation and additional buildings may be added to this list, if the situation warrants,” Cramer said.

Despite the sweeping logistical challenge, university leadership expressed confidence in the campus community’s ability to adapt.

“Finally, we recognize that this is a difficult situation and we’re doing everything we can to resolve it quickly,” Cramer said. “Part of what makes UW–Madison great is our history of coming together to find solutions that allow us to continue to fulfill our mission, and I have no doubt we will do so again.”