New Campus Master Plan Unveiled at Drury University

Drury UniversityA new campus plan by Cooper Robertson has been unveiled for Drury University, the liberal arts school based in Springfield, MO.

According to Drury University, the new campus master plan "will guide the school’s physical evolution for decades to come, and build on the success of recent growth in enrollment, academic programming, and alumni engagement.” The new campus plan is part of Drury’s strategic moves "to address the needs of today’s students in a rapidly changing world, and to set itself apart in the competitive landscape of American higher education.”

In 2017, Drury chose the award-winning global architecture and urban design firm Cooper Robertson to develop its master plan based on the firm’s extensive experience with such schools as Ohio State, the University of North Carolina, Yale, Georgetown, and Duke University. In the Midwest, Cooper Robertson is also currently redesigning the Gateway Arch Museum and Visitor Center in St. Louis.

Led by Drury University’s second-year president, Dr. Tim Cloyd, the master plan was crafted with extensive input from the Drury and Springfield communities, starting with a week-long charrette in April and continuing throughout 2017. “Drury’s new master plan provides an essential, visionary framework to anticipate and accommodate our campus needs over the next 25 to 30 years,” says Cloyd. "It is inspired by Drury’s rich legacy, but designed to carry our mission forward deep into the 21st century.”

Says John Kirk, AIA, a partner and principal architect with Cooper Robertson, “A good master plan envisions a fabric of buildings, open space and landscape that are knitted together in a cohesive, legible, attractive—and memorable—way. Drury’s master plan is ambitious but fully achievable, and I have great confidence in the ability of the leadership and community to make it happen.”

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.