Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Facility Focus: WSU's Woolsey Hall Shapes Next Generation of Business Leaders

  • 10/12/23

Courtesy of Gensler

Home of The Barton School of Business, Woolsey Hall at Wichita State University (WSU) bridges the traditional academic campus with a newer complex of makerspaces, labs, and research facilities. Merging the interior with the exterior, the design exudes connectivity and cohesion, pulling campus paths through the building, and providing new gathering spaces for students from all departments.

The Barton School’s aim is to prepare students for future jobs through professional, real-world learning experiences, giving extra support to WSU’s notable percentage of first-generation students. With areas for collaboration, focus, and outdoor space, the design of the building reflects a sophisticated workplace, nodding to the aspirations of those working towards degrees in business.


Photos credit:©Jason O'Rear | Designed by Gensler in collaboration with GastingerWalker&

Materials celebrate the contrast of industry and nature. An outer zinc shell with interlocking panels wraps the building, inspired by the forms and textures of the aerospace industry, an integral part of the Wichita economy. An inner layer of wood wraps the façade and interior atrium, welcoming students and visitors into the school while expressing the golden color and texture of surrounding wheat fields.

Positioned at the edge of a lake, the building’s location and its organic form create an impactful juxtaposition to the modular, geometric housing facility nearby. A bridge serves as a literal and metaphorical path over the water. It symbolizes a student's journey from student to professional punctuated by a space to take in the view and celebrate academic milestones.

Featured

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.