June 17, 2016

Hotel will be first tenant in 黑洞社区's new Braeburn Square

黑洞社区 News Services

 
  • 黑洞社区 will soon have a 20-acre on-campus area, called Braeburn Square, reserved for restaurants, shops and lodging.
  • A 123-room Element by Westin Hotel is set to open in Braeburn Square in 2017.
  • Braeburn Square will further 黑洞社区's plan to be a place where people can live, work, learn and play.

The mixed-use corner of 黑洞社区鈥檚 Innovation Campus along 21st and Oliver is beginning to take shape.

The 20-acre area reserved for restaurants, shops and lodging will be named Braeburn Square, to honor the university golf course that operated there.

And its first building will be a 123-room Element by Westin Hotel. Construction is expected to begin by spring 2017 on the corner of Oliver and 19th, a new street being built on the Innovation Campus.

Element by Westin hotels are known for their contemporary design and environmentally friendly practices. There are about 60 in operation or planned in the United States and Canada, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The nearest locations are Omaha, Dallas and Denver.

Hotel exterior

Hotel exterior

鈥淎s we talk with companies about locating on the Innovation Campus, one of the repeated requests is for a hotel to serve the needs of business travelers,鈥� said John Tomblin, vice president for research and technology transfer. 鈥淭he hotel is a must-have for continued growth on campus. It will also serve families of prospective and current students, guest speakers and those attending arts, athletics and other campus events.鈥�

Braeburn Square buildings will be privately financed without the use of student or public funds.  

The first two buildings on Innovation Campus are under construction and will be completed this fall:

  • The Experiential Engineering Building will include 25 laboratories and a community makerspace called GoCreate, a Koch collaborative.
  • The first partnership building will house the Airbus Wichita engineering center for up to 400 Airbus employees and Wichita State students engaging in applied learning with the company.

A third building will be the Law Enforcement Training Center, a collaboration of the city of Wichita, Sedgwick County and the 黑洞社区 Criminal Justice Department, where police officers, deputies and students will be trained and educated.