Kansas State University: Foundation Business & Research Park

Kansas State University

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOEFER WYSOCKI

The Kansas State University (K-State) Foundation is responsible for donor-centered acquisition and stewardship of private gifts in support of the university and its philanthropic and academic endeavors. The new Foundation headquarters at K-State, clad in the campus vernacular of limestone and glass, provides an engaging and welcoming experience for the K-State community. The university’s hallmark purple is used to illuminate the exterior balcony, enhancing the Foundation’s visibility and promoting team spirit. In addition to K-State Foundation staff, the new business park will be home to entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies who will work alongside K-State faculty and students.

While the first phase of the 240,000-square-foot, four-phase project focused mainly on creating new headquarters for the Foundation, the vision of the overall project is to establish a business-park-like setting to bridge K-State’s academic programs with the university’s business partners. The Business & Research Park creates an opportunity for employers to guide the university’s academic focus to prepare the next-generation workforce.

K-State was selected as the site of a new 500,000-square-foot, $1.25 billion National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF). The NBAF is currently under construction on a site adjacent to the K-State Foundation Business & Research Park. This strategic location plays a crucial role in connecting the university’s veterinary, agricultural, and biosecurity research and expertise with the NBAF and related industries.

Additionally, the Business & Research Park is a keystone of K-State’s North Corridor Master Plan, which envisions positioning Manhattan, KS, as the national center of excellence for the bio and agro-defense industry.

Hoefer Wysocki has completed the phase 1 and 2 of the design; phase 3 and 4 are in progress. When completed, the project will mark a major milestone of the Foundation’s grand vision to create an innovation and research park that connects the academic campus to the regional and national business community and its next-generation workforce.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • University of Idaho Debuts New Campus Housing Community

    The University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Vandal Village, a new campus housing community for graduate students and families, according to a news release.

  • University of Mary Washington Selects Builder for New Theater, Dance Facility

    The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., recently announced that it has selected construction and development firm Skanska to lead a series of renovations and upgrades to fine arts facilities, according to a news release.

  • CSU Starts Construction on New Engineering Building

    Colorado State University in Denver, Colo., recently began clearing space for the construction of the new Don and Susie Law Engineering Future Technologies Building, according to a news release.