Student Center Renovation Project
Iowa Hall Student Center Update
Work on the Iowa Hall Student Center on Kirkwood's main campus is finished! We want to thank everyone for their patience during the renovation process.
Explore Kirkwood’s Student Center
Step inside Kirkwood’s Student Center — a vibrant space designed to enhance student life and foster community on campus. Opened in fall 2022, this state-of-the-art center offers everything from dining options and study lounges to support services and event spaces. Watch the video tour above to see why the Student Center is quickly becoming the heart of Kirkwood’s campus, providing students with the perfect place to connect, learn, and thrive.
The project includes a complete renovation of all three floors of Iowa Hall and Mansfield Center, and additions to the north and south of the building. The new Student Center includes:
- Study and leisure areas
- Welcome desk and information station
- New campus store
- Centralized student services
- Larger, state-of-the-art meeting space
- New multicultural and LGBTQ centers
- Improved cafe and new coffee bar
- New Global Learning and English Language Acquisition (ELA) offices
- New Veterans Lounge
- Improved Art Gallery and new Fine Arts District
OPN Architects, Workshop Architects, and the Kirkwood campus steering committee worked hard on the renovation plan and addition for Iowa Hall and Mansfield Center, along with improvements to the Library façade and adjacent green space.
To create a student-centric building, the project teams sought input from students, faculty, and staff throughout the process. All feedback emphasized the need for a place students could call their own as well as a facility that honors the innovative history of Kirkwood and its potential to impact the lives of our students in the future.
The Iowa Hall and Mansfield complex is an important hub of activity at Kirkwood. While the improvement project promises to have a major impact on the student experience, we must recognize the challenges the project brings to everyone on campus.
From the beginning, the project teams have seen this initiative as more than a building renovation. Departments and employees have been asked to think differently about their work and how to best support students both during the renovation and beyond.
Needless to say, any project of this magnitude doesn’t come without sacrifices. The focus continues to be on long-term improvement and the strategic goal of enhancing student success. The mission will be accomplished through continued focus on Kirkwood’s goals and by keeping the needs of students at the forefront of our thinking.
Other Campus Renovations
Explore some additional recent renovation projects on our main campus:
The Washington Hall renovation was completed in March 2021. Project highlights include:
- 23,000 square feet of shop space added for the Diesel Technology program
- Enhanced student common space for individual and group use
- The addition of simulator rooms to accommodate current and future simulators for combine and sprayer operation
- Updated auditorium space and specialized classrooms for more flexible learning spaces
The renovation of the Recreation Center is complete. Project highlights include:
- 4,000-square-foot weight room
- The addition of 5 Power Lift combo racks, 2 Intek dumbbell sets and barbells, 2 dual-stack functional trainers, 1 leg press machine, 1 posterior chain machine, and 1 curl bench
- 1,300-square-foot multipurpose room for fitness classes, such as yoga and Pilates
Students in the Automotive Technology program began using the new space fall 2019. Project highlights include:
- Enhanced lab space, including an increase to the number of automotive service bays
- Updated classrooms, with enough space to fit a vehicle for training
- The addition of a chassis dynamometer and transmission dynamometer, allowing for measurement of horsepower torque, wheel speed, and engine systems
Questions?
Please reach out to us at updates@kirkwood.edu.