With NAC Architecture, Walker Macy helped create a unique campus plan that couples a long-term framework for development with short term (10-15 yr) goals. The overarching goal of the plan is to improve the sense of student belonging and strengthen student recruitment and retention. Walker Macy collaborated closely with NAC and WWU staff on student engagement, helped analyze the campus, and developed planning and design studies for academic buildings, housing, athletic facilities, micro-mobility routes and campus landscapes. The plan provides a cohesive, site-specific vision that respects the physical limits and unique character of the campus, which is nestled between two forested ridges overlooking Chuckanut Bay.
Because short term options focus on infill, renovation and modernization, the plan is intentionally flexible and provides multiple solutions for each area. Walker Macy’s contributions to the plan improve campus arrival, enhance connection to the natural landscape, strengthen opportunities for indoor-outdoor activation, and improve accessibility and campus circulation in support of the University’s mission.