Innovation District Master Plan

The Appalachian State University Innovation District master plan focused on the creation of a 28-acre learning district involving the synthesis of three main components: Buildings—including housing and three research and academic buildings; Energy—a district wide energy system with over 500 geothermal wells, 4 wind turbines, and a central energy plant; and, Site—the unifying element for the district consisting of performative native landscapes that will accent ASU’s “Campus in a Forest” identity and connect the district as a whole. Given the spatial constraints of the site and the spatial needs of these elements, a key element to this plan was an implementation framework that accounts for the synergies between these elements to allow for a holistic realization of the vision.