Nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian State University is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, and one of the largest with over 20,000 students enrolled each year. Fall of 2023 proved to be a record-breaking semester for the University, enrolling the largest firstyear and online student populations in App State’s 124-year history, with the most diverse student body to date. Perhaps the most notable contributing factor to App State’s student body increase was the opening of its brand-new campus in the city of Hickory, expanding access to higher education further into the western North Carolina region.
Empowering Interaction: Appalachian State University's Bold Furniture Choices for Student Engagement and Privacy
App State has had an educational presence in Hickory, North Carolina, for many years, offering several courses at local community colleges. However, as formerly the largest metropolitan area in the state without a public university campus, the community’s and school system’s desire to establish a permanent presence in the city had become a priority. In late 2021, Appalachian State University purchased a six story former company headquarters a few miles from Hickory’s downtown to serve as the new campus, with additional funding arriving in 2022 for renovation. Design efforts began right away to allow for a fall 2023 semester move-in.
The focus was placed on completing renovations to the building’s first floor to meet the tight move-in deadline, with the remaining floors to be completed at a later date. To help meet the approaching deadline, Appalachian State University utilized a competitvely solicited and publicly awarded cooperative contract through OMNIA Partners, allowing them to bypass the RFP process. Fully furnished classrooms and private offices on the floor’s perimeter allowed furnishing efforts to be focused on the entryway and common areas. For help with furniture selection, App State chose to partner with local dealer WJ Office due to their long-standing partnership with the University and knowledge of furniture manufacturers that could meet the project’s design and timeline needs. Kimball International’s family of brands was recommended due to quick lead times, durability of product, and trustworthy partnership with the University in previous projects.
The opening of Hickory’s campus came at a time of transition for App State with a heavy reevaluation of university culture and future focus. Expansion into Hickory allowed an opportunity to experiment with new strategies and a campus design that hadn’t been tried on the main campus. The goal was for the Hickory campus to complement and connect to App State’s main campus in neighboring Boone, NC, but not become a direct copy, offering its own unique feel that would appeal to local Hickory residents. The new campus also required flexibility and the opportunity for space types to grow as the school grows, welcoming students into a new community that would drive excitement and increase enrollment in future years.
With those focuses top of mind, App State and WJ Office chose to steer away from a traditional institutional feel and selected bold textiles to coordinate with App State colors. They created common areas with soft seating to encourage interaction between students and staff, and also offered touchdown spaces and pods for privacy. To create this new space, they selected a variety of products including Fringe, Jovalie, Kolo Pods, Lochlyn, and Om Pods from the National brand, EverySpace, Tyba, and Whittaker by Kimball, and Lehr and Vernita from Etc.
With doors opening to Hickory for the first time on August 21, 2023, the excitement from students, staff, and the surrounding community was more than expected. Right away, students and staff gravitated to the common areas, intuitively making the spaces their own by dropping into lounge pieces and plugging in or hopping into pods to study or join a virtual class. The Kolo Pod ADA-Compliant model was even in use on the very first day by a student using a wheelchair! The appreciation for thoughtful, student-centered design was obvious, and has encouraged App State to expand design potential across the greater University.
Kimball International & OMNIA Partners
OMNIA Partners is your trusted ally in the purchasing process, dedicated to optimizing procurement for your organization. With a commitment to craftsmanship and insights-driven innovation, Kimball International offers stylish furniture for public agencies and education spaces at an exceptional value. The winning combination between OMNIA Partners and Kimball International makes public sector purchasing easy.
With the Kimball, National, Etc., Interwoven, and David Edward brands, you can unleash the power of the OMNIA Partners contract to create spaces for all types and sizes of public agencies and education institutions.
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