Building Wake Forest’s Future

Wake Forest is excited to announce its most ambitious space planning effort: the work began in 2024 with the Near-Term Central Campus Space Plan (Near-Term Space Plan) and will now continue with the Bicentennial Comprehensive Campus Space Plan (Bicentennial Space Plan), a new holistic plan that will replace our 2009 Campus Master Plan and 2019 plan update.

The Near-Term Space Plan focus is unlocking the campus core to address immediate campus space needs. The Bicentennial Space Plan will look forward to the next decade as we consider all Wake Forest spaces and real estate and how best to use them to support the strategic framework and Wake Forest’s future.

Ideas Shared by Our Campus Community

Below are the Big Ideas collected so far during the Bicentennial Space Plan visioning process:

Bicentennial Space Plan Concept Plan Images

Academic Neighborhoods: These areas encompass all undergraduate and graduate academic buildings. They should form distinct but interconnected districts and accommodate future enrollment growth.

Residential Neighborhoods: There are three distinct residential neighborhoods that will need to evolve as enrollment increases. The Forest will continue to be a first-year neighborhood. The northern area is being explored for better connections to the campus core.

Outdoor and Mobility: The Reynolda Campus’ beautiful outdoor spaces should be preserved and enhanced. The plan is also looking at future improvements to the arrival sequence, parking, and interconnected greenways to connect to adjacent development.

Community-Oriented Places: These foci of campus life serve multiple purposes. The plan is exploring how they can best evolve to serve the Wake community and become more welcoming and inviting.

Campus Edge Development: These campus-adjacent areas have high redevelopment potential. They are being considered for future uses appropriate for each site and complement the larger campus plan.

Planning Principles: Drafting Process

The planning principles below were drafted based on input from the Wake community. Their purpose is to guide the development of the planning scenarios as well as prioritization of plan elements.

While each planning principle addresses a distinct aspect of campus development, there are foundational constants that apply universally across all principles. These constants ensure that the planning framework remains cohesive, inclusive, and future-focused. These constants are:

• Each principle must support and respond to enrollment growth, recognizing its impact on academic, residential, and support spaces.
• The principles are designed to guide planning across all of Wake Forest University, not just the Reynolda Campus.

Bicentennial Space Planning Principles

Modernize for Academic Excellence, Growth, and Collaboration

Align space to support evolving learning models and institutional growth while promoting flexible use and meaningful collaboration.

Support an Immersive Student Experience

Foster a vibrant campus that promotes student success, wellness, and a strong sense of community for all.

Prioritize Investments in Existing Assets

Strategically invest in existing facilities and infrastructure to extend their life, improve e

Reimagine Wake Forest as a Network of Connected Places

Strengthen connections, accessibility, and wayfinding while expanding the concept of campus to include adjacent areas and emerging Wake Forest spaces.

Promote Visionary Stewardship of Place

Steward and enhance the distinct character and natural beauty through thoughtful, authentic intervention that responds to future needs.

Our space planning efforts will

When will all of this happen?

This is the question at the top of most people’s minds. The answer is “Not tomorrow.” Planning for and executing such a comprehensive plan is extremely complicated and requires meticulous planning.

Near-Term Space Planning is estimated to take place from 2024-2027.

Bicentennial Space Planning is just in the beginning stages. We estimate the creation of the plan will continue through 2027. Implementing the pieces of that plan will depend on many things, including budgeting and financing of the plan. This is a much longer-term effort.