University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub
The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming. The university partnered with PGAV Architects for the facility’s design, and construction has an estimated completion date of fall 2027.
The Hub will stand three stories and cover 29,608 square feet, university news reports. Construction is primarily donor-funded, kicked off by an anonymous $10-million lead gift; donors have contributed about $17.5 million toward the $21-million fundraising goal.
"The Entrepreneurship Hub is designed to be more than a building,” said KU School of Business Dean Jide Wintoki. “It will serve as a programmatic home and a convening point for KU students curious about entrepreneurship, whether they are just beginning to explore an idea or actively building a venture.”
The building’s design evokes the progress of a business concept from exploration to execution. The first floor will contain an ideation lab, a flexible multipurpose space, and a coffee shop as a student entry point. The second floor will feature study areas, classrooms, meeting rooms, and faculty offices. Finally, the third floor will play home to a content-creation and pitching space, a seminar room, offices and meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace, university news reports.
“This facility will enhance the way we fulfill KU's mission of education, service and research while also enabling us to drive economic growth for our state and society,” said KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod.
The university also partnered with Mar Lan Construction for general contracting services.
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].