The Hilltop Village
In the next five years, Western Michigan University plans to re-imagine the entire southern portion of main campus, to include new student housing, a new student center and dining facility, retail venues and several other major building efforts. The project itself will be forward-thinking, reaching to create something unique not only to WMU’s campus, but to other college campuses as well. It will include the built environment, as well as new pedestrian and vehicular pathways, outdoor spaces, campus connections and other infrastructure for a truly cutting-edge user experience.
In spring 2018, the University engaged Perkins+Will, a design firm at the forefront of campus planning and a national leader in higher education to develop a South Neighborhood Sub-campus Master Plan to guide the redevelopment efforts. Their master planning experts led the team to explore innovative approaches to campus improvement, to create a dynamic new campus experience geared toward student success. Since that time, the development has been officially named 'The Hilltop Village', and implementation has begun!
The first structure to lend shape to the Hilltop Village, a student housing project called Arcadia Flats, opened to students in January 2021, and the new Student Center and Dining Facility, is currently under construction. The construction of these buildings is the first step to realizing the long-term vision for the Hilltop Village, which will combine housing, retail, office, academic, recreation and athletic spaces in a single, vibrant district.
Mixed Use Village
GOALS OF THE PROJECT
The overarching design goals of this revitalization are two-fold: first, to provide the latest and greatest in campus amenities in order to strengthen the University’s recruitment and retention goals and promote student success.
Second, to refresh the visual identity of the Stadium Drive corridor, providing a new face that is more fitting for a progressive, 21st century campus. Ultimately, the work will help drive WMU’s core missions, making the University the institution of choice for a wider range of students.
View from Stadium Drive to "Viewshed" green space and Student Center beyond
Guiding Principles
Click on the links below for deliverables from the master planning effort:
South Neighborhood Sub-campus Master Plan Final Report / Executive Summary
South Neighborhood Sub-campus Master Plan Market Feasibility Analysis