New Georgia Tech Undergraduate Commons Built by Turner Construction Company Features Latest Environmental and Energy-Saving Technologies

Students returning to Georgia Tech as the fall session begins are enjoying an innovative new “green” classroom facility, built by Turner Construction Company: the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons.  The unique facility is dedicated to undergraduates’ academic enrichment and innovative learning opportunities.

Located in the heart of Georgia Tech’s campus, the building is a 220,000-square-foot, sustainably designed academic facility. The facility boasts 41 classrooms, two 300-seat plus auditoria, distance learning, day-lit common areas with more than 2,100 seats for individual studying and group work, innovative science labs, presentation rehearsal studios, a green roof garden, solar panel array and more. 

The numerous sustainable design elements are part of what made the project a natural fit for Turner, Atlanta’s largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) builder, which incorporates environmental construction elements into every project.  That commitment is apparent just by looking at the building: it boasts a “green” roof, with solar panels nestled next to trees that will grow as tall as 20 feet, providing beauty while insulating the rooms below. 

The Clough project has more than a dozen major LEED elements including:

• One million gallon underground cistern.  700,000 gallons for gray water recirculation and irrigation and 300,000 gallons for storm water detention.  Harvests an 18 acre area.
• Solar Power: Photovoltaic Farm and solar hot water system (system installed by Radiance Solar with solar panels from Suniva).
• Green roof (intensive), soil capacity depth for 20’ trees, 3 ft deep soil, 18,000 s.f. of green space on the roof. Roof garden insulates the building.
• A combination of light wells, sunshades and screens to balance the need between daylight harvesting and energy usage.
• Heavy emphasis on recycled and locally sourced materials: concrete, brick, stone, carpet, steel, glass, aluminum, ceiling tile, drywall.
• Radiant Floor Heating – Hot water pipes run though concrete slabs in atrium areas.
• Water use reduction: 30 percent beyond code.
• High energy performance: Beats energy code by 26 percent.
• Rapidly renewable bamboo finish in selected areas.
• 95% + percent of construction waste diverted from landfill.
• Replacement of existing parking lot with heavily planted building and new landscaping.

“Turner integrated the LEED concepts of sustainability through this entire project,” said Turner Project Executive Brian Burleigh. “From the solar panels and trees on the roof to the underground cistern that diverts storm runoff for irrigation use, this building really embraces sustainable design from top to bottom.”

The new facility augments Georgia Tech’s existing campus by offering:

• Modern science laboratories for all foundational biology, chemistry, earth and atmospheric sciences and physics courses.
• Technologically advanced classrooms ranging from intimate seminar classroom settings to tiered lecture halls.
• A single location for undergraduate advising, tutoring, student success programs and other student-centered academic services such as the CommLab for writing assistance.