People are returning to the Wichita State University campus as summer continues and the fall semester approaches. If you’re a newcomer – or feel like it’s been a while – you’ll notice construction and new businesses on campus. Read the latest update below:

Campus projects completed this summer or wrapping up soon

• Road surfaces have been repaired or replaced on Perimeter Road and Mid Campus Drive. Facilities Services is installing new, light reflective crosswalk markings to improve pedestrian safety
• The next phase of a multi-year sidewalk repair project is underway to eliminate trip hazards across campus.
• Many parking lots across campus have been repaired and resurfaced.
• The second phase of health and safety upgrades is underway in Henrion Hall. The project includes improving ventilation and dust collection in the sculpture studio as well as replacement of the exterior foundry fence
• The tennis court surface and wind fencing are being replaced on the east side of the Heskett Center. The new court area will include two tennis courts, four pickleball courts and a central viewing area.
• The electrical distribution system was replaced in Lindquist Hall this summer. The third, fourth, and fifth floor restrooms were also upgraded.

Woolsey Hall

Construction is well underway on Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall, the new home for the W. Frank Barton School of Business. 

Woolsey Hall is focused on creating an environment for students and faculty that inspires collaboration, innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset. Its location on the Innovation Campus will nurture applied learning experiences with partners and businesses active there. The new building will be a new 125,000-square-foot facility that is targeted to be certified with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver rating, the most widely used green building rating system.

The highly efficient, natural light-filled building has a three-story atrium with social stair, classrooms of multiple sizes and configurations, a 300-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room overlooking the water, business labs and centers, and conferencing and study spaces throughout the building that will be open to all students. The building is expected to be complete in late spring 2022 and ready for summer 2022 classes.

The building will replace Clinton Hall, built in 1970, as the home of the Barton School.

A live construction link is available to watch the building process.

The Promise Bridge

Construction recently began on the 300-foot-long pedestrian bridge spanning across the water feature south of Woolsey Hall. The intent of the bridge is to provide a literal and symbolic connection between Wichita State’s main campus and Innovation Campus. 

The bridge is scheduled for completion in late spring 2022.

NetApp

A permanent home is under construction for NetApp, a Fortune 500 data storage and cloud management company. The building is located south of 18th Street, between Oliver and Innovation Drive. The 168,000 square-foot NetApp Wichita site is planned for occupancy by early 2022.

NetApp’s relocation to Innovation Campus will allow it to work even more closely with Wichita State students, faculty and other researchers. Its employees will join the Innovation Campus atmosphere and the growing digital transformation research cluster at Wichita State.

NetApp, a world leading solutions provider in digital transformation, is already one of the largest employers of our students.

The Smart Factory @ Wichita 

Construction is underway on the interior of The Smart Factory @ Wichita. The 60,000-square-foot facility is located at the corner of Innovation Boulevard and 19th Street. The building will incorporate multiple sustainable building technologies led by Deloitte and multiple industry partners.

Deloitte, The Smart Factory alliance partners, and Wichita State are helping companies accelerate their digital transformation by providing an immersive smart factory experience to demonstrate how manufacturers can embrace the next level of technological innovation.

The Smart Factory @ Wichita offers an opportunity in which the digital, physical, and experimental come together so businesses can experience the advanced manufacturing methods and technologies at the heart of digital transformation. The new, cutting-edge facility will help companies better understand how to merge existing technologies with new innovations and create dialogue about how companies can take their first steps to create sustainable investments.

National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT)

Later this year, a NIRDT construction bid will be released. NIRDT will focus on developing technology that can transform other industries, including aviation, to drive economic develop and support new ventures in Kansas. NetApp will be an anchor industry partner and will establish a shared data center and research division.