{"630370":{"#nid":"630370","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Buildout of the EcoCommons Continues in January 2020","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe northwest sector of campus has been a continuous hub of activity with the construction of the new Georgia Tech Police Department Building, the\u0026nbsp;Dalney\u0026nbsp;Building, and the\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building for Innovative Sustainable Design \u0026mdash; all of which opened their doors in the past few months.\u0026nbsp;The next highly anticipated project in this area is the\u0026nbsp;renewal of\u0026nbsp;8 acres\u0026nbsp;of land\u0026nbsp;located\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the corner of Hemphill Avenue and Ferst Drive, which will extend and enhance the campus EcoCommons.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA lush green space\u0026nbsp;will soon\u0026nbsp;emerge\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;what was formerly the\u0026nbsp;Beringause\u0026nbsp;Building and two surface parking lots.\u0026nbsp;This renewal project will be purposely located due west of The\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building and will complement the regenerative\u0026nbsp;principles of the Living Building Challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s overall EcoCommons project envisions 80 acres of green spaces throughout campus that\u0026nbsp;follow what were the original,\u0026nbsp;naturally occurring stream paths of this region\u0026nbsp;before urbanization.\u0026nbsp;These revitalized green spaces are being designed and engineered\u0026nbsp;to reduce\u0026nbsp;stormwater\u0026nbsp;runoff by 50%, while also supporting increased living learning labs\u0026nbsp;and biodiversity on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis particular section will mimic a traditional piedmont woodland\u0026nbsp;that was located on campus before the city grew up\u0026nbsp;around it.\u0026nbsp;Currently, the majority of acreage is covered by\u0026nbsp;oak, pine,\u0026nbsp;and hickory trees along with crepe myrtles and redbuds.\u0026nbsp;The trees have been surveyed and range from specimen trees (those with high historic or ecological value), to trees in fair or poor condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Jason Gregory, senior planner in Capital Planning and Space Management, more than 60 trees will be\u0026nbsp;temporarily relocated to the tree farm by the Roger A. and Helen B. Krone Engineered Biosystems Building while significant grading of the space is completed.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s pretty neat that we have the ability to relocate these trees on campus while this project moves forward,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;explained Gregory.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut before planting can begin at the site, extensive amendments such as compost and biochar will be added\u0026nbsp;to the soil.\u0026nbsp;Installation of\u0026nbsp;utilities,\u0026nbsp;water\u0026nbsp;infiltration cells, and drainage infrastructure will also take place before\u0026nbsp;any\u0026nbsp;planting can begin.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter the site is prepared, more than 600 new trees will be planted in addition to the relocated trees. This increased tree canopy will support a display of perennials such as flowering dogwood, yellow daisies, and ferns.\u0026nbsp;This recreated piedmont woodland will feature a grove of tupelo trees, a prairie-like area of grasses, a manicured lawn,\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;granite\u0026nbsp;outcropping,\u0026nbsp;and seepage wetlands. It is expected that by\u0026nbsp;mid-year\u0026nbsp;2020, students, faculty, and\u0026nbsp;staff\u0026nbsp;will be able to\u0026nbsp;meander the walkways and bridges\u0026nbsp;and enjoy\u0026nbsp;the natural beauty of this revitalized sector of\u0026nbsp;campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe creation of this performance landscape helps demonstrate Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s thoughtful stewardship\u0026nbsp;of land development\u0026nbsp;by\u0026nbsp;including\u0026nbsp;smart infrastructure to facilitate a balanced flow of\u0026nbsp;stormwater. In addition, this naturalized\u0026nbsp;ecological and educational\u0026nbsp;environment supports Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s commitment to fostering sustainability initiatives well into the 21st\u0026nbsp;century.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about this\u0026nbsp;distinctive\u0026nbsp;campus initiative, stay tuned for the next article in\u0026nbsp;a three-part series.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA lush green space\u0026nbsp;will soon\u0026nbsp;emerge\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;what was formerly the\u0026nbsp;Beringhause\u0026nbsp;Building and two surface parking lots.\u0026nbsp;This renewal project will be purposely located due west of The\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building and will complement the regenerative\u0026nbsp;principles of the Living Building Challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A lush green space will soon emerge from what was formerly the Beringhause Building and two surface parking lots."}],"uid":"35028","created_gmt":"2019-12-31 22:10:34","changed_gmt":"2021-02-11 02:43:47","author":"cbrim3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-31T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-31T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629254":{"id":"629254","type":"image","title":"Northwest Sector of the Eco-Commons","body":null,"created":"1574436898","gmt_created":"2019-11-22 15:34:58","changed":"1574436898","gmt_changed":"2019-11-22 15:34:58","alt":"Northwest sector of the eco-commons","file":{"fid":"239646","name":"Eco Commons NW Sector .png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20NW%20Sector%20.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20NW%20Sector%20.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2442795,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20NW%20Sector%20.png?itok=SEcfbST6"}},"629255":{"id":"629255","type":"image","title":"Eco-Commons View from Ferst Drive and Hemphill Avenue ","body":null,"created":"1574437020","gmt_created":"2019-11-22 15:37:00","changed":"1574437020","gmt_changed":"2019-11-22 15:37:00","alt":"View of the Eco-Commons from Ferst Drive and Hemphill Avenue","file":{"fid":"239647","name":"Eco Commons view from Ferst and Hemphill.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20view%20from%20Ferst%20and%20Hemphill.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20view%20from%20Ferst%20and%20Hemphill.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2625048,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20view%20from%20Ferst%20and%20Hemphill.png?itok=b4-fbzfZ"}},"629256":{"id":"629256","type":"image","title":"Eco-Commons View from the Grove","body":null,"created":"1574437159","gmt_created":"2019-11-22 15:39:19","changed":"1574437159","gmt_changed":"2019-11-22 15:39:19","alt":"Eco-Commons View from the Grove","file":{"fid":"239648","name":"Eco Commons  View in Grove.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20%20View%20in%20Grove.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20%20View%20in%20Grove.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2941501,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Eco%20Commons%20%20View%20in%20Grove.png?itok=K76MeQyV"}}},"media_ids":["629254","629255","629256"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/landscape-master-plan","title":"Landscape Master Plan"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.facilities.gatech.edu\/landscaping","title":"Facilities Management Landscape Services"},{"url":"http:\/\/livingbuilding.gatech.edu\/","title":"The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design"}],"groups":[{"id":"383831","name":"Facilities Management"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"147851","name":"eco-commons"},{"id":"166867","name":"living Building"},{"id":"177739","name":"Kendeda Building"},{"id":"112","name":"green space"},{"id":"35921","name":"Facilities Management"},{"id":"79481","name":"ecocommons"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJerry Young\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProject Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFacilities Management Design \u0026amp; Construction\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.young@facilities.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}