New Academic Hub Planned for Drury University

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Drury University has announced Cooper Robertson as architect for its new Enterprise Center, a major academic building set to rise on the institution’s growing Springfield, MO, campus — and its first building project to be developed based on Cooper Robertson’s 2017 master plan.

Drury University Academic Center

Rendering courtesy of Cooper Robertson

Designed in collaboration with Trivers Associates architects, the vision for the three-story, 54,772-square-foot Enterprise Center includes space for Drury's business and political science academic programs, as well as for high-tech student collaborative areas, facilities for guidance services and an executive conference center. According to Drury leaders, the project highlights an emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation and interdisciplinary learning, and reflects the master plan’s recommendations for strategic moves that address the needs of today’s students in a rapidly changing world.

Other key features of the new building include an 11,000-square-foot Center for Executive Education attached by a colonnade to the main building. This conference center and flexible event space will be used extensively by the entire Drury campus as well as the greater Springfield community, reflecting the master plan’s goal of more tightly weaving Drury University into the fabric of its surrounding neighborhoods.

Groundbreaking is anticipated for spring 2020.

Featured

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.