The Near-Term Central Campus Space Planning project is the first time Wake Forest’s space – on the Reynolda Campus and within our adjacent properties – has been looked at in a comprehensive way – all at once.
We are planning efforts to reimagine how our available space can serve administrative needs, and thus create space within the academic core of campus to support our academic mission:
Why?
To provide and ensure a transformative education and student experience supported by the teacher-scholar ideal.
How?
By “Unlocking the Core” – relocating non-student facing administrative units to a connected location (Baity Street redevelopment) to create more student-centric space in the core of campus.
This project will:
Address significant academic, living and learning space needs, particularly in the College, while addressing deferred maintenance.
Enhance the experience and quality of undergraduate education in the campus core while sustaining the hallmarks of the Campus Master Plan. The master plan for Wake Forest’s Reynolda Campus was originally developed by New York architect Jens Fredrick Larson in the 1940s and1950s. The plan has since been revised several times and was updated in 2019 by Ayers Saint Gross.
Match the needs and expectations of new programs, potential and current faculty and staff, in a forward thinking manner.
When will this happen?
The question at the top of most people’s minds is “When is all of this going to happen?” The answer is “Not tomorrow.” Planning for and executing such a comprehensive plan is extremely complicated and requires meticulous planning. The word “near-term” in this project means “within the next 3-5 years.”
The only move scheduled for calendar year 2024 is University Advancement and University Marketing and Communications (formerly CER). They will be moving from Alumni Hall to the University Corporate Center (UCC) in November-December as a temporary location until Baity Street is developed.
From the Project Sponsors:
We are all part of one Wake Forest University dedicated to providing our students with a transformative education and experience and we have a big challenge on our hands – too little space that does not meet our current learning needs. We are all in this shared mission together… we are on the cusp of some meaningful, intentional space decisions that ensure a transformative education and professional experience.
Michele Gillespie
Provost
Since 2021, President Wente has made space a major priority based on listening to many of you…on our ongoing, urgent needs. Space challenges that we have not met can be met now through the lens of our Strategic Framework, the Baity Street opportunity, and larger campus master planning to be kicked off later this year.
Jacqueline A. Travisano
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer