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

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.