Campus Landscape Framework Plan
The University’s 2019 Campus Master Plan presented a compelling vision for the stewardship of the physical campus organized around the broad themes of Welcome, Connections and Hubs. The Plan detailed opportunities for both new construction and major renovations to address buildings in poor condition and the need to add additional square footage to support emerging or growing programs. While the Plan indicates a handful of isolated opportunities within the landscape, there was not sufficient time nor resources available during the development of the Plan to study the vital role of the landscape in the physical development of the institution.
The limitations of this gap quickly became clear in the design of major capital projects such as Steven D. Bell Hall for the Kenan-Flagler Business School, wherein the lack of performative goals for the landscape resulted in a focus on solving for localized conditions without a clear understanding of larger scale impacts. Thus, in 2023, we proposed to extend our campus planning work with the creation of a Landscape Framework Plan.
The hope is that this document provides a complementary planning tool to guide current and future development through investment in the campus landscape. Rather than simply the interstitial space between buildings, the physical fabric of the campus is ecologically rich, socially dynamic, and programmatically diverse.
This document focuses on ways to improve the structure, performance, and character of this vital resource. In turn, the Landscape Framework Plan aims to strengthen and create new campus connections and express the values and aspirations of the larger Carolina community.
On a campus where decisions made in the late 18th century deeply influence the experience of today’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors, we firmly believe that this document will reap benefits for the campus and its inhabitants for many decades into the future. This work honors the long and rich history of America’s oldest public University and is closely aligned with its mission of excellence.
This online version of the plan contains a downloadable PDF of the full plan. Areas of interest can also be directly accessed by using the links below.