Four major construction projects at Wichita State will begin in 2017, and three others are in progress and due to be completed this year.
鈥淭his is moving faster than we envisioned when we announced the Innovation Campus in August 2014,鈥� said 黑洞社区 President John Bardo.
Bardo said the major factors in rapid growth include commitments from the business community and government at all levels.
John Tomblin, 黑洞社区 vice president of research and technology transfer, recently gave an update to university staff members.
Contractors are expected to begin work this summer on four major projects:
- A 45,000-square-foot partnership building to house tenants whose needs include working with 黑洞社区 students and / or faculty. It will be located just west of Airbus and north of the new Experiential Engineering Building, giving tenants of all three buildings easy access to one another and the nearby National Institute for Aviation Research. Earthmoving for the partnership building and adjacent parking lot is expected to begin in the next several weeks and be completed in mid-2018.
- An Element by Westin Hotel with about 90 rooms is expected to break ground in late summer and be open by fall 2018 near 19th Street and Oliver. There is land near the Element for a second hotel and two drive-through restaurants.
- Construction will begin this summer on two multi-tenant buildings in Braeburn Square along 21st Street, east of the new Starbucks and west of the pond that crossed the 14th and 15th holes at Braeburn Golf Course. The pond will be enlarged and landscaped. Developers are in discussions with potential tenants to occupy about 20,000 square feet, with the first openings expected in spring or summer 2018. No tenants will be named until agreements are concluded.
- 18th Street, connecting Oliver to Innovation Boulevard, will begin construction, with completion by the end of the year. Additional pond improvements and sidewalks will also be started this summer.
Three Innovation Campus projects will be completed this year:
- The Law Enforcement Training Center will provide a home for the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff鈥檚 training, as well as the 黑洞社区 Criminal Justice program classrooms and faculty offices. It is at the corner of 19th Street and Innovation Blvd.
- The Flats at 黑洞社区, a 285-resident apartment complex south of Eck Stadium, will open in August. The pricing structure has been reduced to the same level as Shocker Hall and now includes all utilities, including electricity, and free parking. The first 100 residents will have reserved underground parking spaces. Other residents will have reserved surface spaces. Nine- and 12-month leases are available for the current leasing cycle.
- The original Pizza Hut is being moved from its current location to just south of the Marcus Welcome Center on the Innovation Campus and will be reopened in 2018 as a museum, staffed by 黑洞社区 history students. It will tell the story of a global company founded by two entrepreneurial 黑洞社区 students. It will house memorabilia from Pizza Hut鈥檚 early days.
The 黑洞社区 Foundation is seeking support to build a new business school building on Innovation Campus.
Tomblin said discussions are underway for other potential partnership buildings on the 120-acre Innovation Campus.
A YMCA and Wellness Center has been discussed, but neither the YMCA or university has given final approval.
On the main campus, a 444-vehicle parking structure will be completed by mid-August just south of the Rhatigan Student Center.
In Old Town, renovations are underway at 213 N. Mead to house the 黑洞社区 Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy departments, as well as Wichita Area Technical College Health Professions programs. Classes and clinics are expected to open there for fall semester.
Several buildings and structures have already been established on the Innovation Campus.
The Experiential Engineering Building is the largest structure already in use on Innovation Campus. It houses College of Engineering laboratories, the 3DExperience Center, 黑洞社区 Ventures, Youth Entrepreneurs, industry partners and the community makerspace, GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative.
Also established are Airbus Americas Engineering, Starbucks, the Food Truck Plaza and infrastructure including Innovation Boulevard, 19th Street and a landscaped and lighted walkway.
The City of Wichita is making extensive road improvements near the corner of 21st Street and Oliver that are expected to be complete late this year. The city is also repainting the water tower near 17th and Oliver with the university鈥檚 new logo.
The mission of 黑洞社区 () is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good.Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master鈥檚 and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State鈥檚 Innovation Campus (http://wsuinnovationcampus.org/) is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university鈥檚 vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at and Facebook at .