To meet their land-grant mission and further prepare for the future, K-State needed to continue to build partnerships that have a profound impact on its health and prosperity. To attract these partnerships to campus, the KSU Foundation is developing the K-State Office Park. This collaborative corporate incubator provides innovative learning and work environments for business partners, entrepreneurs, and startups committed to working with university students and faculty.
Together with the Foundation, Hoefer Welker master planned the 17-acre office park, delivered in four phases. Demand exceeded expectations, and with Phase I complete, we immediately set plans in motion for Phase II.
We envisioned this second building as a complementary project, with architecture that matches the campus design aesthetic with modern materials to represent K-State as a cutting-edge research institution. We developed synergy between the two phases by paying close attention to the landscape, views, and relationships between the buildings.
Partners and visitors experience the K-State brand through transparent spaces that allow them to see what’s going on and invite them to be a part of K-State’s innovative future. A spacious lobby and open stairway connect the three-story building. A modern fireplace lounge is a welcoming area for impromptu collaboration and visitor’s waiting space. Partners with a simple need for a private office or workspace can find a home at edge@1880, K-State’s co-working community – located on the first floor next to the onsite restaurant and multi-purpose event space.
The second and third floors were designed with flexibility in mind – with office areas that can expand using a plug-and-play system of modular walls, floors, and furniture to accommodate a variety of partner sizes. With this plan, the Foundation can easily accommodate any change a partner needs with little downtime or construction interruption. These floors also have shared amenity spaces, including formal and informal collaboration spaces, conference rooms, employee break areas, and outdoor terraces with views of Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The K-State Office Park is one of those innovations that bring strategic partners and investment to both the university and the city. Its expansion is creating more opportunities for K-State students, faculty, and the Manhattan community by attracting partnerships from industry leaders, including the US Department of Agriculture, McCownGordon Construction, US Senator Jerry Moran, and Stormont Vail Health.