More is better, especially when it comes to bringing the campus together.
An upcoming remodeling of Walker Hall will be the first step toward connecting the traditional campus commons at the Main Quad with the emerging activities center around the Silo.
It's a unifying vision, both physically and intellectually, say campus planners.
Originally, the en-trance to Shields Library faced north to the Quad. Today, after many additions, the entrance faces west. The back side of Walker Hall blocks the library from the Silo.
"We want to connect the main Quad and the Silo together in a continuous campus commons right through the Walker block," said Bob Segar, assistant vice chancellor for campus planning. "It's a great opportunity to expand student services at the heart of campus."
Segar said students will one day be able to walk outside the front door of Shields and enter a "student activities mall," a space filled with a variety of programs available to them.
The Walker redesign would begin in about three years and take about two years to complete, added Segar. A committee is currently exploring how the whole block between Shields Library and the Silo will be used programmatically.
Outside Walker Hall, plans call for landscaping and pedestrian walkways in the areas now occupied by temporary buildings, all in an attempt to add vibrancy and spaciousness to a corridor that will likely see much foot and bicycle traffic.
Under its red-tiled roof, Walker Hall houses the departments of design, environmental design, landscape architecture and the Design Gallery. Segar noted that efforts are under way to relocate those programs elsewhere on campus, with student-oriented services moving in to Walker once the remodel is complete. A recent student referendum may support some of the student activity programs.
Walker Hall is known for its fashion show on Picnic Day in April when the design department holds a runway show on the front lawn, featuring clothes that are designed, made and modeled by students.
One key aspect of the plan is the close location of Walker Hall to Shields Library. That area, like the Silo and MU, is a student hub.
"The library is the traditional place where students congregate to study," said Segar. "Campus libraries offer quiet and well-equipped places for students to study, and they also provide a special kind of commons where students, although engaged in individual work, acquire the sense of being part of a community of learners that has endured for generations."
Segar said the recent renovation of Hart Hall serves as a model in remodeling Walker Hall -- both were built before World War II. He explained that this type of redesign on an older building typically involves preserving the historic façade of the building and thoroughly renovating its interior and structure.
"It's basically totally rebuilt inside," he said.
Plans call for Walker Hall to become a two-story building but with more square feet of space by eliminating wings off the back of the structure.
Segar said the concept arose in the last 10 years of planning when the university identified a need for campus commons spaces and physically proximate student services.
Segar said the pedestrian path past Walker would connect the front door of Shields Library with the Silo at the intersection of Hutchison Drive and California Avenue. Future plans for the Silo area include new buildings leading to a spacious quad, just west of the Silo. A north-south bike corridor is envisioned to cut through that new quad and continue in opposite directions.
With pedestrian traffic increasing near the Silo in years, Segar noted, the campus anticipates moving the vehicle gate on Hutchison near the Silo farther west to protect the proposed bike and pedestrian corridor.
"Walking and bicycling are the primary means of movement in and around the campus," said Segar. "These activities should be encouraged both by upgrading major pedestrian routes to make them pleasant, comfortable, and secure day and night, and by minimizing conflicts with vehicles."
All of these projects, from the Walker zone to the Silo Quad, are on separate timetables, Segar said. And it will take 11 projects alone to clear and refurbish the Walker zone, he added. Landscape and circulation improvements are planned to tie the different projects together in a cohesive environment.
The Walker Hall zone redevelopment is anticipated by ºÙºÙÊÓƵ' 2003 Long Range Development Plan, which encompasses more than $1 billion in campus development to support the university's academic mission.
The Long Range Development Plan will help ºÙºÙÊÓƵ accommodate more students in the years ahead and thus meet its obligations to the state. Estimates call for an average on-campus student population of 30,000 and a total enrollment of 32,000 by 2015, as well as an increase in faculty and staff to support those students.
The Long Range Development Plan and accompanying documents are available at .