Georgia Tech EcoCommons

The Challenge

Established in 1885 in the heart of Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a "leading research university committed to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology." Georgia Tech wanted to reflect this commitment through its campus design by creating "the sustainable university of the 21st century." The Campus Master Plan included the creation of the EcoCommons, a permanent open space system that winds through campus. Planners sought to merge the ecological and human landscapes to help create a unique performance landscape, providing a valuable environment and educational resource.

The Solution

Barge Design Solutions built a multidisciplinary project design team to program, refine, and detail the design of the largest element of the EcoCommons system: the Living Building Sector. This is a nearly seven-acre ecological park that serves as the anchor of the EcoCommons in the northern quadrant of Georgia Tech’s campus. The park will provide integrated stormwater management, new biohabitats, blackwater reclamation, outdoor recreation, and opportunities for research and education by accomplishing the following:

• Reducing stormwater runoff by 50%;
• Replacing parking lots with a living landscape;
• Increasing tree canopy coverage;
• Utilizing rainwater for irrigation and other non-potable water needs;
• Promoting biodiversity in an urban environment;
• Enhancing the pedestrian experience;
• Providing access to and from the adjacent buildings and other outdoor areas.

The Result

The resulting performance landscape design features temperature and air quality monitoring and includes over 60,000 cubic feet of underground infiltration, vegetated swales, and irrigation connected to cisterns. Planners sought to replicate the original streams and natural runoff pathways that were present before the building of Georgia Tech’s campus. Through these combined efforts and thoughtful design, it is estimated that the annual stormwater runoff will be reduced by millions of gallons, which benefits not only Georgia Tech, but also Atlanta as a whole, as the runoff previously drained to a combined sewer system. This site has helped Georgia Tech achieve its desire to create a living-learning laboratory.