The University of Wyoming is currently undergoing dramatic changes, as outlined in the university’s 2020 Master Plan (MP).
According to the MP, there will be roughly 1,553,000 gross square feet (GSF) of new construction; 2,242,000 GSF of renovation, and 801,000 GSF of demolition.
The MP, published in May 2020, was developed by Saski, an architectural firm with extensive experience regarding college campuses, who has developed plans for other universities including the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Despite the local controversy surrounding the plan, the Society for College and University Planning considered the University of Wyoming’s MP an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Planning for an Existing Campus.
The MP hopes to improve student interactions, create vibrant student life, embrace the university’s history, support intercollegiate athletes, and provide connection with the larger community.
The bulk of what will affect students is in section 4 of the MP, which runs from page 43 to page 144. Section 4 of the Campus MP is broken up into Five “Big Ideas.”
Big Idea One is titled, “Discovery and Learning.” It focuses primarily on creating “active learning environments” and developing “[s]paces for students to work together and engage with faculty.”
This involves minor renovations to many buildings on campus including the Agriculture, Education, and Engineering buildings which aim to provide more student work space and a more open feeling.
One part is renovating the plaza east of the Classroom building, to include new landscaping and a projector capable of screening video to the west wall of the Arts & Sciences building.
Big Idea Two is titled, “Residential Roots,” and focuses primarily on developing the campus’s residential scene.
One such residency solution is the construction of at least two new dormitories north of Half-Acre Gym, a new dining facility, and the potential restoration of historic dorms including Knight, Ross, McWhinnie, and Hoyt Halls, in order to provide more housing near the heart of campus
Big Idea Three is titled, “Student Life Experience,” which works on developing a positive student experience centering around the Wyoming Union.
The concept also explains that “as mandated by legislation” the parking lot east of the Wyoming Union will be replaced with a green space intended to provide “a welcoming arrival to the Wyoming Plaza outside the Wyoming Union.”
It also mentions the construction of a new plaza in between the Buchanan Center and the Fieldhouse, which would require the removal of the parking lot currently there.
Renovations to the Fieldhouse are also outlined, which include expanded seating and program space for the intercollegiate wrestling and volleyball teams. The UniWyo Sports Complex is planned to be demolished once the Fieldhouse renovations are complete.
Big Idea Four is titled, “Pedestrian Friendly,” and primarily aims to make the campus more pedestrian and bike focused.
This section concedes that “while a recent parking study concluded there is sufficient parking capacity across the campus overall, parking is not evenly distributed, and there is a perceived lack of proximate and available parking in several areas, including the Campus Core,” and that it is the university’s position that “[t]he university is only able to satisfy parking demand through remote lots served by the campus shuttle system.”
According to the MP, there will be a total of 5,230 parking spots on campus. 1,814 of those parking spots will be west of 15th st; 2,603 parking spots will be between 15th and 22nd street and 813 will be east of 22nd street.
This number includes the spaces provided by the Ivinson parking lot.
Campus walkability has become prioritized over the use of private vehicles, and shows that walking and cycling paths will replace Lewis street and the driving lanes down Fraternity row.
The Fraternity Mall green space, which will replace what is currently parking, is planned to include “active outdoor recreation elements such as basketball, volleyball, or bocce courts and an informal recreation field.”
Idea Four also acknowledges the strategic placement of trees throughout campus in order to provide “windbreaks at key locations.”
The fifth and final Big Idea is titled, “Welcoming Campus,” and refocuses on how the university intends to be more welcoming.
The MP proposes the creation of visitor kiosks at the Union bus stop and the Ivinson parking garage and of gateways at various spots “with special landscape treatments or signage to enhance the sense of arrival to campus.”
The University of Wyoming acknowledges in the MP that its progress is subject to change as dates for projects remain loosely defined and that collaboration should be done with the city of Laramie to ensure the maintenance of a well-connected community.
