365 days of Dunbar Hall
It’s been one year since Dunbar Hall's grand reopening, and it has swiftly become a bustling hub for campus life. Whether students are tucked in a cozy study nook, behind a studio camera, or leaping across the dance floor, there’s a place for everyone to learn, grow and thrive.
Originally built in 1971, Willis F. Dunbar Hall was one of three buildings constructed to support a growing university population. Today, it’s the second most used classroom building on Western’s campus, welcoming thousands of students each year. While Dunbar’s centrality to campus has endured, the aging facility needed an update to support modern teaching and learning. Led by architectural firms Tower Pinkster and HGA, the building underwent a $42 million transformation, emerging as an innovative hub for active learning, sustainability and accessibility, boasting state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced technology upgrades and dynamic student workspaces.
“Seeing it in full use has been just a tremendous joy,” College of Arts and Sciences Dean Carla Koretsky says. “It has surpassed my wildest expectations.”
THE ROAD TO RENOVATION
Pre-renovation, Dunbar Hall was characterized by flickering lights, narrow hallways, and cramped classrooms – students and instructors couldn’t wait to leave. Trans forming it into an inviting space where people would want to linger required extensive community input. Through town hall meetings, workshops, social media, and outreach to stakeholders, students, staff and faculty helped shape a design reflective of their wants and needs. The result is a building filled with natural light, warm tones, and live plants, creating a relaxing and inviting atmosphere that not only enhances classroom learning but supports students in every aspect of their academic journey.
“Dunbar is reflective of what the 21st century student wants; they want the building to be more than just a classroom,” Koretsky says.
Every floor offers various study spaces, from private nooks to conference rooms, supporting the invaluable learning that takes place outside of the classroom. There’s space for university-wide events, registered student organization meetings, or simply just spending time with a friend, ensuring the campus community has a central spot to connect, focus and collaborate.
The renovation also meant rethinking every aspect of the building with a new focus on accessibility, inclusion and functionality.
“We really wanted that diversity, equity and inclusion piece to come through,” Koretsky says. “There was a lot of thought into the design of the building to make it as inclusive as possible.”
Seemingly small design choices became key to achieving this. For example, seating was picked to accommodate all body types, hallways widened for wheelchair accessibility and elevators thoughtfully placed for mobility enhancement –all to welcome and support a diverse community.
A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental sustainability is at the heart of Dunbar’s renovation and is thoughtfully integrated throughout the building, which nears final Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification.
Visible features like bird-safe glass, native plants, and vegetated roofs support ecological health, while an indoor bicycle garage and showers encourage bicycle commuting. Less obvious but equally impactful is an entirely replaced HVAC system, heated sidewalks to reduce the need for salt, locally sourced building materials and exceptional water efficiency.
In recognition of Dunbar’s sustainability efforts, TowerPinkster, the architectural firm behind the renovation, was awarded the First Place Innovative Project Award at the U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan Annual Party and Leadership Awards ceremony in Dec. 2024. The award honors projects that “break the mold of standard building construction, design, and operations” and “exemplify innovation and astute practices,” thereby contributing to their goal of establishing high-performing green buildings across Michigan.
THE MEDIA SUITE
Dunbar Hall is now home to WMU’s media suite–a cornerstone for the School of Communication. The high-tech studio includes TV broadcasting equipment, journalism facilities, and a podcasting room to integrate across media disciplines, foster creativity and collaboration and honor WMU’s commitment to experience-driven learning.
"At WMU, our commitment to excellence drives us to provide students with real-world, state-of-the-art experiences” Wade Cutler, instructor in the School of Communication says. “This industry-leading environment gives them a significant advantage as they launch their careers in live broadcast television.
THE DANCE STUDIO
The fourth floor of Dunbar is home to the stunning penthouse dance studio. With tall ceilings and enormous windows overlooking the Miller Fountain Plaza, it’s no surprise that the space is booked from morning to midnight every day.
“The Dunbar studio demonstrates Western’s dedication and support of the arts as an important part of who we are,” Interim Associate Dean and Professor of Dance Megan Slayter says.
Slayter emphasizes that the arts are central not only to WMU but also to Kalamazoo and that featuring dance so prominently in the renovation reflects the cultural values of both the university and the surrounding community.
“I’m really thankful for the university and to the state for funding it and recognizing how important a very significant academic building like Dunbar is to the university and the learning process,” Dean of the College of Fine Arts Dan Guyette says. “It costs a lot of money to do a building like that, but the payoff that you get and the benefits to students and their educational experience is well worth it.”
DUNBAR’S ENDURING LEGACY
As the college celebrates the first anniversary of the Dunbar Hall renovation, it is clear that the facility will thrive as an enduring hub of learning, innovation, and community engagement–one that will continue to inspire the WMU community for years to come.
“I hope it’s a model for the future of our campus. I hope we can look at Dunbar as proof that we can take a very old, tired, and unattractive building and make it welcoming, sustainable, and useful for years to come,’” Koretsky says.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.