Our campus plan is a direct product of the School’s Strategic Plan, For College and For Life, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2012. The strategic plan specifically calls for dynamic learning environments that are catalysts for the kind of innovative, collaborative, and experiential learning in which our students and faculty engage every day.

All campuses grow and evolve through the generosity of their communities. It will take the commitment and support of our entire community to fully realize the vision outlined in the campus plan. If you would like to learn more about our fundraising efforts and naming opportunities, please contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at 404.609.6275.

Expressing Westminster’s founding values through the School’s community and campus is a core theme of the campus planning process.  The Campus Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees, school leadership, and focus groups comprised of faculty, alumni, parents, and students partnered with several architecture firms and consultants to design spaces that honor Westminster’s classic architecture and meet the needs of learners in the 21st century and beyond. Our familiar building materials of limestone and brick were incorporated into the design of every new structure and buildings were designed to promote fluid learning and community indoors and out.

Construction began in June 2019. The historic renovation of Campbell Hall, the construction of Hawkins Hall (a new Upper School academic building), and enhancements to Thompson Stadium are the first projects being undertaken. Construction of the new parking deck is scheduled to begin in Winter 2020.  

The construction schedule was developed to minimize disruption to campus life and to maximize efficiencies related to materials, timelines, and construction staffing. Following is the order in which the first projects are scheduled to take place.

• Renovation of Campbell Hall and Construction of Hawkins Hall, a new Upper School academic building (Summer 2019 to Fall 2020)
• Community Plaza and Stadium Enhancements
  (Summer 2019 to Summer 2020)
• Parking Deck
  (Winter 2019 to Summer 2020)
• Westminster Center
  (Winter 2019 to Summer 2021)

Designated visitor parking near Adams Gate will remain available throughout the 2019-20 school year.

Westminster maintains a strong partnership with the Paces Civic Association. School leadership has been in regular consultation with the association throughout the campus planning process to ensure our neighbors are informed of our enhancements to campus.

Athletics play an integral role in the student experience at Westminster. Almost every student utilizes at least one of the School’s athletic facilities in a given semester. Different venues will be affected during the various phases of the planned construction. Our Director of Athletics is developing individual plans in partnership with the appropriate coaches for teams impacted during construction. These plans will be communicated once finalized. Alfred E. Thompson Stadium will remain open for the fall 2019 and spring 2020 sports seasons with limited access to the home team stands.

Energy efficiency is a core focus in the design and construction of the new spaces planned for Westminster’s campus. The revitalization to our campus has provided us the opportunity to bring energy efficient systems online within a centralized facility, saving more than 5 million gallons of water and 160,000 kwH of energy each year.

Westminster’s tree canopy is one of the most iconic and beloved aspects of the School’s campus. Cultivating and maintaining a healthy and robust campus landscape is a core priority of the campus plan. While the plan focuses on providing community spaces, increased access for all, and more opportunities for our students and visitors to engage the landscape, every effort has been made to mitigate disturbance. The current construction planned will impact an estimated four percent of Westminster’s contiguous campus and two percent of our tree canopy. Approximately 400 trees of 6” caliper or greater will be removed.

While trees will be removed during construction, a significant number of new trees will be planted across the property. The new plantings have been carefully selected under the direction of the landscape architecture firm Andropogon. The plans developed by Andropogon include more than 450 new native trees and a robust assortment of understory native shrubs and development of the bosque with ground covers.

As we prepare for the start of construction, you may notice an increased number of markings throughout campus. These markings take many different forms, such as engineering tape and paint on the ground, trees, and structures. The markings help us indicate a variety of things including infrastructure, building placement, tree removal, and tree replacement. It is important to note that the markings serve as helpful planning tools and are subject to change.

Parking for Juniors and Seniors from August 2019 to December 2019 will be located on the back tennis courts near Kent Field and near Turner Gym.  The tennis courts near Kent Field will be resurfaced and reopened after the first phase of construction is complete. 

The construction phasing has been carefully designed to ensure as little impact to the academic experience of our students as possible. A temporary "Wildcat Village" has been constructed on Broyles Field and will be utilized for Upper School classes throughout the 2019-20 school year while Campbell Hall is under renovation. Given the dynamic schedule of our Upper School, students will only spend a few of their class periods in the temporary classrooms throughout a given day.

Yes! The Senior Mudslide is a treasured tradition for our graduating Wildcats. The Upper School Administration will work closely with campus facilities to confirm the best location for the event during construction.

Westminster has retained JE Dunn to serve as the general contracting firm for construction. JE Dunn is a leader in overseeing complex construction projects on busy campuses. Contractors and construction personnel will only have access to hardhat zones and utilize shuttles to and from off-campus parking. Westminster students, faculty, and staff will not have access to the construction sites.

Yes! The construction timeline has been carefully built to ensure that the Class of 2019 and Class of 2020 can celebrate their commencement ceremony with family and friends on Pressly Plaza.