University of Kansas Central District

OWNER

University of Kansas

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Construction Cost
$350 million

Completion Date
Summer 2018

Project Size
310,000 SF
600 car garage

University of Kansas Central District

Lawrence
Kansas

In 2015, the University of Kansas embarked on a major construction program to replace and add buildings to their main Lawrence campus. The project redeveloped an under-utilized 55-acre central campus site, adding a 280,000 SF Integrated Science Building, a new satellite Student Union, a 600-space parking structure and a 4,000-amp Central Utility Plant, capable of supporting both new and future infrastructure. Rather than wait to obtain traditional state funding for the project – which would have extended the project schedule over a decade or more - the University took advantage of a new financing model for state universities, the public-private partnership (P3). By teaming with a design-build-finance team led by developer Edgemoor, the entire $350M project was completed in just 36 months, propelling the university forward toward achieving its mission of becoming a flagship research university.

To meet the university’s need for this project to be completed quickly, our team tackled the accelerated schedule by providing early construction packages and reduced the conventional lab research facility design schedule from 12 months to 6 months, while still producing the high quality of work that our clients anticipate.

As a testament to the team’s focus and delivery, the topping out of the primary structure, for the four story Integrated Science Building was celebrated just 10 months after producing design development documents, 4 months faster than a conventional project timeline.

The efficiency and collaboration of Walter P Moore and its partners was critical for the University of Kansas to meet its goal of reinvigorating the campus environment by the end of 2018. The redeveloped KU Central District not only offers new dormitories and classrooms, but also provides an environment for education, research and excellence, renewing the university’s reputation as a cutting edge research and science teaching institution.