The plaza behind Guthridge, South and Strong residence halls, tentatively called Square 80 plaza, should be mostly finished before final exams begin, a University official said.
The green space will be 32,070 square feet, have twenty trees, a large central lawn, multiple landscaped areas and seating for 15 to 20 people, said John Ralls, special adviser for community and outreach in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Treasurer.
“It is anticipated the project will be substantially complete before spring finals so significant noise activities will not occur,” Ralls said in response to student concern over construction noise during final exams.
This Thursday, a reception with University President Steven Knapp will be held at the site to celebrate Earth Day and GW’s strides towards sustainability.
University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said the reception would be held at the unfinished site, with Knapp and Student Association president Julie Bindelglass participating in a mulching ceremony. The two will be placing mulch, a material placed over soil to retain moisture, on the new trees.
“It is essentially kind of the first event that will be there,” Sherrard said, although “there’ll still be a hole that they have to fill [in the plaza.]”
The project began last October, but was delayed due to the unexpected winter snowstorms, Ralls said.
Ralls said this project would improve the area, which was once used as a parking lot, both in appearance and sustainability.
“The project will green the area, both by providing open green space and sustainable features,” Ralls said.
Ralls said the $70 million budget for the construction of South Hall also covered the green space construction costs.
In developing this area, Ralls said, GW plans to use environmentally friendly techniques to limit the amount of pollution and inefficiency.
“The site will be planted with native and adapted plantings which require minimal watering, since they are acclimated to the local climate,” Ralls said.
The area will also use an elaborate system of water collection by using cisterns to capture storm water and runnels to channel it towards tree boxes.
