Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

U Central MO Gets "Living Room" Makeover

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/21/20

The University of Central Missouri has gone public with an update on a multi-year masterplan for renovating the Elliott Student Union, dubbed as the "campus living room," by the university's community. The student union is a 165,000 square-foot social hub that includes study areas, meeting spaces, student service offices, retail dining, a movie theater, a bowling center, a campus card center, bank and information desk.

The new entrance for the University of Central Missouri's student union includes seating, a graphic timeline and a digital wayfinding kiosk. Source: KWK Architects

After the 15-to-20-year masterplan was completed, the architects provided projections on expected costs for each phase of the renovation project. The goal was to update the central atrium as the primary student area, convert underused spaces, support the evolution of student services and improve the overall visitor experience.

Phase 1 of the plan encompassed a $7 million redesign that includes a new main entrance, finished in fall 2019, and the addition of a 280-seat multi-purpose auditorium, done in spring 2020. Besides making access to the whole of the facility more obvious, the new entrance was also designed to incorporate seating, a graphic wall timeline, entry signage and a digital wayfinding kiosk.

The new 5,700-square-foot auditorium has a stage and retractable seating, and entry into the space was made available through the new entrance hallway.

Design services were provided by higher-education-focused KWK Architects working with solution design firm CannonDesign. Renovations were handled by Missouri-based Westport Construction Co.

"The team analyzed existing conditions and held multiple workshops, meetings and a town hall to gain stakeholder input," said KWK Principal Eric Neuner, in a statement. "We explored various design options to best meet the university's vision for how the facility would look and feel and how its space would best be utilized."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.