There is a lot to miss about campus life while most work and learning remains remote — but the hassle of campus construction is not one of them. With that in mind, the team behind the Campus Center project is making the best of this unprecedented situation, rearranging the construction schedule to tackle the most disruptive work while campus is closed.

Contractors have mobilized for Phase 2 of the project, beginning work on the hardscape and utilities around the entrance to the Ferst Center for the Arts. Initially slated for 2022, work that would have taken place piecemeal — and disruptively under normal campus operations — has been moved up for completion while in-person instruction is suspended.

With students and staff working remotely, work can proceed without the need for complex staging and sequencing to maximize construction efficiency and minimize impacts to the community. For those still living or working on campus at this time, pathways through the plaza in front of the Ferst Center have been diverted to the south and west around the Smithgall Student Services Building and to the east around the Student Center and Ferst Center. (See Phase 2a diagram.)

As crews prepare for this phase, which includes the renovation of the current Student Center and the demolition and rebuilding of the Stamps Commons, they will soon begin abatement and demolition on the food court greenhouse, mobilization of the construction trailer, and site preparations. Fencing around the Phase 2 site is expected to be in place in late July, at which point pedestrian traffic will be diverted to the north around the free speech area and to the south along Ferst Drive. (See Phase 2b diagram.)

The hardscape around Ferst Plaza, including a new home for the beloved Dean Griffin statue, is expected to reopen with some temporary pathways in place when students return to campus in August. The plaza is expected to be fully open in October.

As campus gradually reopens, most of the Student Center’s critical functions will begin operating in temporary locations in the new exhibition hall and pavilion buildings. The Georgia Tech Post Office will continue to operate in the Student Center until early July. For more details on temporary locations and timing for each function’s move, visit studentcenter.gatech.edu/student-center-move-out.

The entire Campus Center project is expected to be complete in late 2022. For more information about the project, visit c.gatech.edu/CampusCenter.