Groundbreaking at GA Tech

April 5, 2010 – Groundbreaking ceremonies were held today at Georgia Tech for the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (CULC). The 235,000-square-foot building is named for former Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough, who was proclaimed President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology by President Bud Peterson and University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. during the ceremony. Clough was named Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 2008.

“I had this near-radical idea that Georgia Tech should be a place that not only challenged students, but one that also was dedicated to the idea that we wanted them to be successful,” Secretary Clough said. “I was convinced both objectives could be achieved while allowing students and faculty to have fun along the way.”

The $63 million building, which has been in the planning stages for 12 years, is being constructed adjacent to the Price Gilbert Library and is literally at the crossroads of the campus. The Clough Commons is designed to allow students to take advantage of hands-on, collaborative and technologically enhanced teaching and learning opportunities. The facility includes modern and innovative science laboratories for foundational biology, chemistry, earth and atmospheric and physics. It also serves as a single location for undergraduate advising, tutoring, student success programs and other student-centered academic services.

Sustainable features will earn the facility LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification upon its completion in the summer of 2011.

“We are indebted to the General Assembly and the Governor for a tremendous state investment,” said President Peterson.

Quick Facts

• Design Professional: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
• General Contractor: Turner Construction Company
• GSFIC Project Manager: Paul Blaum
• GSFIC Contract Compliance Specialists: Elliot Long