{"628693":{"#nid":"628693","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Eco-Commons: Living Building Sector ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe northwest sector of campus has been a hub of activity lately with the new Police Department Building, the\u0026nbsp;Dalney\u0026nbsp;Building and the\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building for Innovative Sustainable Design all opening their doors.\u0026nbsp; The next highly anticipated project in this area is the\u0026nbsp;renewal of\u0026nbsp;eight acres\u0026nbsp;of land\u0026nbsp;located\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the corner of Hemphill Street and Ferst Drive.\u0026nbsp; The\u0026nbsp;most innovative and restorative\u0026nbsp;portion of the\u0026nbsp;Eco-Commons\u0026nbsp;to-date:\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Living Building Sector\u0026nbsp;(LBS)\u0026nbsp;is coming to life!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA lush greenspace\u0026nbsp;will soon\u0026nbsp;emerge\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;what was formerly the\u0026nbsp;Beringhause\u0026nbsp;Building and two surface parking lots.\u0026nbsp;The Eco-Commons: Living Building Sector\u0026nbsp;is purposely located due west of the\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building for Innovative and Sustainable Design in order to complement the regenerative\u0026nbsp;ideals of the Living Building Challenge which\u0026nbsp;KBISD will pursue.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe overall Eco-Commons Project, of which the Living Building Sector is a part, envisions 80 acres of green spaces across campus that\u0026nbsp;follow what were the original,\u0026nbsp;naturally occurring stream paths of this region\u0026nbsp;before being\u0026nbsp;urbanized.\u0026nbsp;These green spaces are being designed and engineered\u0026nbsp;to reduce\u0026nbsp;storm water\u0026nbsp;runoff by 50%, while also supporting increased greenspace, living learning labs\u0026nbsp;and biodiversity on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Eco-Commons: Living Building Sector\u0026nbsp;aims to mimic a traditional piedmont woodland\u0026nbsp;that was located here 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,\u0026nbsp;(those with high historic or ecological value), to trees in fair or poor condition.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;According to Jason Gregory, Senior Planner, CPSM, over 60 trees will be\u0026nbsp;temporarily relocated to the\u0026nbsp;Krone tree farm while significant grading of the space is completed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s pretty neat that we have the ability to \u0026ldquo;swing space\u0026rdquo; these trees on campus while this project moves forward,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;explained Gregory.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn preparation for the eight different plant communities slated for the project, extensive amendments such as compost and bio char will be added\u0026nbsp;to the soil.\u0026nbsp;Installation of\u0026nbsp;utilities,\u0026nbsp;water\u0026nbsp;infiltration cells and drainage infrastructure will take place before\u0026nbsp;any\u0026nbsp;planting can begin.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENext, over 600 new trees will be planted, the relocated trees will be\u0026nbsp;replanted\u0026nbsp;and this increased tree canopy will support a display of understory perennials such as flowering dogwood, yellow daisies and ferns.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;A grove of tupelo trees, a prairie-like area of grasses, a manicured lawn,\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;granite\u0026nbsp;outcropping\u0026nbsp;and seepage wetlands complete the remaining elements of this recreated and enhanced piedmont woodland.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;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\u003EIn creating this performance landscape, Georgia Tech is practicing thoughtful stewardship\u0026nbsp;in land development\u0026nbsp;by\u0026nbsp;including\u0026nbsp;smart infrastructure to facilitate a balanced flow of\u0026nbsp;storm water.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Further, by providing\u0026nbsp;a naturalized\u0026nbsp;ecological and educational\u0026nbsp;environment on campus this project 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\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;organized\u0026nbsp;programming of\u0026nbsp;the Eco-Commons: LBS\u0026nbsp;will consist of three living landscape areas \u0026ndash; an area to\u0026nbsp;Learn, and area to\u0026nbsp;Engage and an area to\u0026nbsp;Reflect.\u0026nbsp; Stay tuned for the next article in\u0026nbsp;a 3-part series\u0026nbsp;to learn more about this\u0026nbsp;unique and impactful\u0026nbsp;campus initiative.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The most innovative and restorative portion of the Eco-Commons to-date:  the Living Building Sector (LBS) is coming to life!"}],"uid":"35028","created_gmt":"2019-11-06 23:45:07","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"cbrim3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-11-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-11-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626346":{"id":"626346","type":"image","title":"Eco-Commons Plan","body":null,"created":"1568817915","gmt_created":"2019-09-18 14:45:15","changed":"1573085115","gmt_changed":"2019-11-07 00:05:15","alt":"Proposed Eco-Commons plan.","file":{"fid":"238795","name":"190603_EcoCommons_PDC Presentation_summary_Page_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/190603_EcoCommons_PDC%20Presentation_summary_Page_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/190603_EcoCommons_PDC%20Presentation_summary_Page_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":799231,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/190603_EcoCommons_PDC%20Presentation_summary_Page_1.jpg?itok=zt76hbBt"}}},"media_ids":["626346"],"groups":[{"id":"383831","name":"Facilities Management"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"147851","name":"eco-commons"},{"id":"61411","name":"Campus Construction"},{"id":"111","name":"Landscape Master Plan"},{"id":"171128","name":"sustainable landscapes"}],"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 - Landscape Project Manager - Facilities Management\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.young@facilities.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}