Wichita State University Campus Master Plan

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Gensler’s 10-year master plan with Wichita State University (WSU) connects the University’s academic and Innovation campuses, creating a more walkable environment for learning, research, and community.

Location

Wichita, Kansas

Client

Wichita State University

Expertise

Education Cities & Urban Design Strategy

Opportunity

As Wichita State advances as a leading urban research university, physical divides between its academic core and growing Innovation Campus threatened to limit its momentum.

Years of incremental growth had left Wichita State’s academic core separated from its rapidly expanding Innovation Campus by surface parking lots and aging buildings. Classroom utilization lagged well below state benchmarks, aging facilities carried high maintenance costs, and pedestrians navigating the central campus faced safety concerns. WSU needed a plan that could unify its footprint, improve facility performance, and transform underused space to support students, faculty, research, and continued growth.

Why This Matters

01
Spaces That Work Harder
With classroom utilization far below the state benchmark, and aging facilities carrying high maintenance costs, WSU needed to make better use of its existing academic footprint.
02
Supporting Continued Growth
The success of WSU’s 120-acre Innovation Campus created new demand for places where research, industry partnerships, and university programs could continue to expand.
03
Strengthening Community Ties
WSU’s growth created an opportunity to strengthen connections beyond campus, extending university resources and investment into the surrounding Wichita community.

Through structured engagement, early strategy sessions, and thoughtful synthesis, the team helped the university identify key goals and project drivers that became a consistent ‘north star’ throughout design and delivery.

Solution

The plan transforms an underused edge into a new central core, using landscape and pedestrian connections to unite academics, research, and industry.

A new main lawn replaces underused buildings and surface parking, stitching together the historic academic core and Innovation Campus while creating an active shared space. New academic and research facilities, an expanded library, and a resized recreation center frame the lawn, concentrating activity around the new campus hub. A key campus corridor is reimagined as a pedestrian-first route, removing a long-standing barrier between the east and west sides and making movement across campus safer and more intuitive.

From brief to build: Gensler combined campus data, stakeholder input, and long-term planning to create an actionable roadmap for WSU’s next decade.

The process combined facility analysis, utilization studies, stakeholder engagement, and long-term strategic planning. Conversations with students, faculty, staff, and leadership revealed a desire for more activity beyond class hours and stronger connections across campus. Gensler evaluated facilities, open spaces, circulation, and growth opportunities, balancing performance data with community feedback. Nine city and county engagements, seven campus visits, and more than 950 survey responses shaped a phased playbook for investment and development over the next ten years.

Shaping the Future Together

Collaborative workshops with students, faculty, staff, and leadership translated community priorities into a long-term campus vision.

Impact

The plan positions Wichita State for its next chapter as an 18-hour district and an urban research university, with a more walkable campus designed to support activity throughout the day.

The framework gives WSU room to grow while prioritizing higher-performing facilities, active public spaces, safer movement, and stronger relationships with the surrounding community.

What Changed Because of This

01
Stronger Connections
A new main lawn and pedestrian-first corridor connect the academic core and Innovation Campus, replacing vehicle-dominated spaces with safer, more walkable routes.
02
Facility Performance
Targeted demolitions of high-FCI buildings reduce deferred maintenance while opening land for modern, higher-performing facilities.
03
An Active Environment
Academic, research, recreation, and public spaces create more reasons for students, faculty, and visitors to use the campus throughout the day.

We wanted every move to work harder, improving the student experience today while creating opportunities that Wichita State can build on for years to come.

Recognition

01

The Wichita Eagle

Highlighted WSU’s 10-year master plan, and featured Gensler’s vision for improved campus connectivity, strategic redevelopment, and future academic and research growth.

02

The Sunflower

Covered Wichita State University’s approved campus master plan, highlighting Gensler’s long-term vision for campus redevelopment, renovations, and new facilities.

03

KSN

Reported on the unveiling of WSU’s 10-year master plan, sharing plans to replace aging facilities with multidisciplinary spaces that support enrollment growth.

Team

Project Leadership

Meghan Webster

Meghan is a Principal and Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s Chicago office, where she pairs strategic leadership with a deeply people-centered approach. She grows the business by investing in talent, building trusted client relationships, and empowering teams to deliver ambitious work together.

[FPO] Gretchen Kelly

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[FPO] Andrew Brosseit

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Michael Schur

As a Global Wellness Leader, Michael Schur leads a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to delivering holistic design solutions that improve physical and emotional wellbeing, support equity, and empower individuals, communities, and organizations.

FAQ

01

How is this master plan different from a typical campus master plan?

Rather than focusing only on new buildings, the plan ties every physical recommendation to data on facility condition, classroom utilization, and enrollment growth, so investment decisions are grounded in performance, not just design preference.

02

What is an “18-hour campus”?

An 18-hour campus is designed for activity well beyond the traditional school day, mixing academic, residential, retail, and recreational spaces for students, faculty, and the community to gather on campus into the evening.

03

How does the master plan connect the Innovation Campus to the rest of campus?

The plan introduces a new main lawn, pedestrian-first corridors along Mid Campus Drive, and expanded pathways around Woolsey Pond to physically and visually link the academic core with the Innovation Campus.

04

How will the plan improve the campus experience?

The plan prioritizes safer walking routes, expanded green space, updated facilities, and more places to gather, creating a campus designed for activity beyond class hours.

05

How does the plan support WSU's research and industry partnerships?

By opening new sites near the Innovation Campus and along 17th Street, and by continuing WSU's public-private partnership model, the plan creates room for companies and research institutions to co-locate with the university as those partnerships grow.

06

When will the master plan be implemented?

The plan spans a 10-year horizon, with some projects, including Wilkins Stadium, University Stadium, NIAR HAMR, and Partnership Building 11, already approved and underway.

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Related Expertise

Education Cities & Urban Design Strategy

Gensler’s 10-year master plan with Wichita State University (WSU) connects the University’s academic and Innovation campuses, creating a more walkable environment for learning, research, and community.

As Wichita State advances as a leading urban research university, physical divides between its academic core and growing Innovation Campus threatened to limit its momentum.

Why This Matters

The plan transforms an underused edge into a new central core, using landscape and pedestrian connections to unite academics, research, and industry.

From brief to build: Gensler combined campus data, stakeholder input, and long-term planning to create an actionable roadmap for WSU’s next decade.

The plan positions Wichita State for its next chapter as an 18-hour district and an urban research university, with a more walkable campus designed to support activity throughout the day.

What Changed Because of This