photo by: University of Kansas

This rendering shows a proposed six-story building that would be constructed on the University of Kansas campus to service the KU school of architecture and design. The building would be built behind Marvin Hall, which is on the west end of Jayhawk Boulevard.

A $60 million project to add new space to the University of Kansas’ School of Architecture & Design is moving forward, and KU’s main campus may get a new “iconic” building out of the deal too.

KU leaders told the Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday that the university intends to build a six-story “iconic mass timber building” on KU’s Lawrence campus. The building would be just behind the architecture school’s primary building — Marvin Hall, a 1909 limestone building that fits in with the classic KU architecture style of stone buildings and red roofs.

Its new neighbor would have a significantly different look. The approximately 70,000-square-foot building would feature lots of glass and would highlight the use of large timber beams that are part of the structure, according to renderings submitted to the Regents.

“It will make a statement,” University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod said of the design during a brief interview Wednesday.

photo by: University of Kansas

This renderings shows a proposed six-story building that would be constructed on the University of Kansas campus to service the KU school of architecture and design. The building would be built behind Marvin Hall, which is on the west end of Jayhawk Boulevard.

But first the project has to avoid the fate of many university proposals — one that makes its way to the drawing board but doesn’t ever get built due to a lack of funding. On that front, the project now is in the hands of the Kansas Legislature.

Regents on Wednesday granted KU permission to seek up to $60 million in bonding authority from the Kansas Legislature when its session begins in January. KU leaders said if the Legislature grants the bonding authority, KU will have the money it needs to begin construction of the project in the second half of 2026.

Girod said KU will have a compelling story to tell legislative leaders when it seeks the bonding authority, which is significantly different than asking the state to simply pay for the building. Essentially, KU is asking for the state’s permission to take on debt to construct the building.

“This has been 20 years from a need perspective, our accreditors have told us,” Girod said.

photo by: University of Kansas

This renderings shows a proposed six-story building that would be constructed on the University of Kansas campus to service the KU school of architecture and design. The building would be built behind Marvin Hall, which is on the west end of Jayhawk Boulevard.

The new building will help the architecture school consolidate its operations. Currently the school is spread out across eight buildings on campus. With the new building, the school primarily will be in three locations that are all next door to each other and connected by enclosed pedestrian bridges — Marvin Hall, Chalmers Hall, and the new building, which currently is being called the Makers KUbe.

Girod said the new space also will create significant new growth opportunities for the architecture and design school.

“They have demand for it now, but they don’t have the space for it,” Girod said of enrollment growth.

Currently, the school only accepts 30% of students who apply. With the new space, Regents were told enrollment is expected to grow over the next decade to about 1,300 students, which is an increase of about 30% from current levels. Regents also were told that faculty at the school is expected to grow by about 10 members during the time period, if the new space comes online.

Conceptual plans for the building include space for 30 new design studios, a robotics lab and makerspace, a cafe and solar panels on the roof.

The Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group — or BIG, as it is commonly known in the industry — has been selected to design the project. The firm has done work around the world — Lego fans may know it as the designer of the world headquarters of The Lego Group — and has won many awards.

Leaders with BIG and KU have said the building is being designed to “be innovative and future-proof and to showcase environmental stewardship.” In an interview with the architecture and design trade magazine Dezeen, leaders with BIG said the building’s structure will be made entirely from wood — no steel beams — and will use traditional Japanese joinery techniques with notched, glued laminated timbers and dowels.

The interior of the building will feature exposed beams and large amounts of wood. Plans call for all interior materials to be recyclable, according to the article.

photo by: University of Kansas

This rendering shows the interior of a proposed six-story building that would be constructed on the University of Kansas campus to service the KU school of architecture and design. The building would be built behind Marvin Hall, which is on the west end of Jayhawk Boulevard.

Girod said the design of the new building is a testament to the creativity of the faculty and “highly engaged” advisory board of the architecture and design school, which chose BIG as the architect for the project and has contributed to its design. Girod said he was excited to see a building with a modern design progress on the main campus, but he also said he’s highlighted the importance of respecting the overall nature of the historic elements of the main campus. Historic preservation reviews will be required through the Campus Historic Preservation Board, Regents were told. Since the project is located on state-owned property, the project won’t be required to go through the city of Lawrence’s review process.

photo by: University of Kansas/Journal-World

A site plan shows the site of proposed six-story building for the university’s architecture and design school. The spot with the blue star would house the new building.

The new building would be located on a piece of ground that currently serves as a triangular plaza surrounded by Marvin Hall to the north, Chalmers Hall to the west and Hoch Auditoria and Anschutz Library to the east.

The project also calls for two additional phases of the development, which would renovate Marvin and Chalmers halls. KU, however, acknowledges that more fundraising is needed before those phases can progress. KU is not asking the Legislature for bonding authority to begin those additional phases.

As for the timeline of the new building, if the Legislature gives its needed approval, final design work would begin in the first quarter of 2025, construction would begin in the third quarter of 2026 and construction would be largely completed by the third quarter of 2028, Regents were told.

photo by: University of Kansas

This renderings shows a proposed six-story building that would be constructed on the University of Kansas campus to service the KU school of architecture and design. The building would be built behind Marvin Hall, which is on the west end of Jayhawk Boulevard.

In other business, Regents on Wednesday:

• Gave preliminary approval for KU to seek up to $100 million of bonding authority from the Kansas Legislature for student housing projects. KU leaders said they want to have the bonding authority so that the the university can either build new student housing or buy existing apartment complexes in the community to serve growing student enrollments.

• Gave preliminary approval for KU to seek bonding authority to build a new Cancer Research Building on the KU Medical Center Campus in Kansas City, Kan. The building is expected to cost about $250 million and will host a variety of researchers. KU hopes to have the building open in late 2027 or early 2028.

• Heard reports from KU and other universities about proposals for increased student housing and dining rates for the next school year. KU has proposed a $416-per-year increase to its standard housing and dining plan. That’s a 3.8% increase from current rates, and is in line with what several other universities are proposing. Regents heard the requests, but are not set to take final action on them until December.

• Approved a deal for KU to accept ownership of the land upon which sporting facilities at Rock Chalk Park are built. KU will take over ownership of the land from an entity controlled by KU Endowment Association. The site in northwest Lawrence houses stadiums for KU track and field, soccer and softball programs, plus an indoor tennis center. The facilities themselves are owned by a private for-profit entity, Bliss Sports, who leases the facilities to Kansas Athletics for the school’s use. Bliss Sports will continue to own the facilities, and the lease with Kansas Athletics will continue. However, KU leaders expect the land transfer from KU Endowment to the university will make the property exempt from paying local property taxes. The project recently had its 10-year tax abatement expire, and Kansas Athletics likely would be responsible for about $500,000 in local tax payments if a way isn’t found to make the property tax-exempt. The deal only includes land tied to the university sports facilities. Rock Chalk Park also includes a city of Lawrence recreation center, but that land is not included in the deal. The recreation center land and building already are owned by the city of Lawrence.