Division of Diversity + Inclusion Master Plan

Overview

When a large public university hired DELV to develop a Master Plan for their Division of Diversity and Inclusion (DDI), our design team worked to rethink—both critically and imaginatively—what tool may serve the university best in its mission toward a more diverse and inclusive future.

The Story

As a group comprised of different cultural and resource centers serving various constituencies, many of the university’s existing facilities’ solutions were fragmented and no longer viable for long-term homes for these functions. Their separate locations limited interconnections and optimization of shared amenities, and lacked flexibility for inclusion efforts toward an ever-widening diversification of their student body.

Through nearly two years of focus groups and stakeholder sessions, our design team developed a robust Master Plan that demonstrated the feasibility of a centralized and academically-focused 45,000 square-foot inclusion center. Two sites on campus were explored with conceptual design efforts and both recommended as useable options.

From separate, distributed, and constrained, to co-located, centralized, and flexible, the plan brings their facilities into alignment with the mission and vision of DDI: to create and sustain a welcoming campus where all students can excel.

Questions asked

01

How can we move from separate, distributed, and constrained facilities into one optimal center?

02

How do we recommend the best site when there are multiple available?

03

How can we create distinct zones of accessibility within the building?

Market

Higher Ed

Scope

Master Plan

Location

Indiana

The campus currently has eight cultural and resource centers that were considered in this Master Plan. One additional group, the Disability Resource Center, was also included as a part of this study due to its shared interest and mission in diversity and inclusion.

And though the current physical homes of DDI had been built through powerful and important legacy efforts, they were experiencing limits to growth. The separate locations of DDI limit interconnections, optimization of shared amenities, and lack of flexibility for inclusion efforts toward an ever-widening diversification of the student body. Furthermore, the focus on student success is challenging in locations which are both difficult to find and to access.