Mansfield Campus Planning

Near-term opportunities exist to elevate the campus identity and brand with enhanced gateways, signage and wayfinding throughout campus. The streetscape along Lexington-Springmill Road would benefit from a widened multi-use path and campus standard light poles and banners, to better incorporate this edge as part of campus. There is also an opportunity to create a more monumental-style entrance to campus along this roadway. “Highway to Hallway” signage would ensure that visitors are able to seamlessly arrive on campus, exit their vehicles, and find their on-campus destination with ease. Once on campus, Ohio State Mansfield can celebrate and put on display its unique woodland setting.

Open space improvements at multiple scales will increase pedestrian connectivity, activate the campus, provide social spaces, and engage the woodland setting of campus. During stakeholder meetings, some commented on the lack of central open space at the Mansfield campus. Open spaces in front of Eisenhower student union are small woodland areas that lend the campus its unique identity but obscure visual connections between buildings on campus. Framework 2.0 recommends enhancing these woodland areas by improving sightlines and connectivity through them, perhaps with wooden boardwalks or selective tree removal. New outdoor furniture and hammock posts would create an inviting space that encourages campus users to linger. Along Kenwood Circle at University Drive, sidewalks, streetlights with banners and outdoor furniture would create a new central space on campus and enhance the arrival experience for anyone traveling to campus.

Building renovations and modest additions will provide modern spaces that promote student success and enhance the student experience. Many learning spaces on campus are slated for renovation and refresh to better match twenty-first century pedagogy, specifically teaching labs. Collaborative, informal spaces throughout academic buildings and the library will extend learning opportunities for students beyond classroom walls. Eisenhower Student Union, specifically, would benefit from renovations that replace brick exterior walls with glass windows on the ground level. This would allow for activities in the building to visually connect to the exterior, and vice versa, further activating the campus.