Graduate students in the landscape design program got the opportunity to complete an entire project between Owen and Turlington residence halls.

Housing staff had been discussing doing something with the space between Owen and Turlington for several years before the official announcement of the project, according to Keith Wickliffe , the assistant director for University Housing on central campus.

“There had been interest for several years in doing something with the space and this was a good opportunity to make it happen,” Wickliffe said.

Students in the graduate level landscape design program worked with Andrew Fox, an assistant professor in landscape architecture, to design and ultimately create the space.  The section between Turlington and Owen is phase one of a project that will be completed in 2015.

The design students who completed the project looked at five different options for on-campus renovation before choosing the space between Turlington and Owen for their project. The students were chosen to work on this project after the University saw success with a project they completed behind Syme residence hall.

“Housing likes to reach out to our students when it comes to projects like this and this gave us a great opportunity to do that,” University Housing employee Pete Fraccaroli said.

The area, which used to hold mulch, broken benches and unused outdoor grills, now has several benches where students can sit, as well as intricate landscape design throughout the area.

“This was an under-utilized space and we wanted to change that for our students,” Fraccaroli said.

One of the reasons this particular area was chosen for the project was that it is an area frequented by visitors to campus. Owen residence hall is displayed as an example residence hall to potential students and their parents who tour the campus. 

“This is a high traffic area for students and parents who are visiting the University. It’s helpful for them to see a place that not only looks good but was actually created by some of our students,” Wickliffe said. 

One of the catalysts of the project was the Turlington Hall Council.  According to Wickliffe , the council advocated for a better use of the space for students last year. After polling students in the dorm, it was decided that the project would go forward.

“We started conversations with the Turlington hall council about working on the space, and then this opportunity with the design class came around, so we made it work,” Wickliffe said.

The space was officially unveiled in early August for student use. There has been good reception of the space so far, Fraccaroli said. You can find students lounging between classes or reading a book on one of the newly installed benches. 

“This space is good because it is a little sheltered and secluded space. It’s somewhere that students can go for a little quietness between classes,” Wickliffe said.

Lindsey Schaefer, a sophomore in creative writing and a second-year resident in Turlington , is appreciative of how much work project workers accomplished before residents moved in.

“I am really appreciative of how much they were able to get done before the students got here. The Thunderdome is such a prominent feature to living here and it adds so much to the dorm to be able to hang out with friends outside on the nice days,” Schaefer said.

Fraccaroli says that he is happy with the way the project is turning out and he expects to see a lot of student use it in the future.