Category: Planning & Design

Have you noticed the new signage on Lake Drive? Clemson University Facilities has installed new signage to help ensure pedestrian safety and to remind everyone to clean up after their pets.

A Resource for Work and Play

The Clemson University Wastewater Treatment Plant has always enjoyed sharing Lake Drive with the community as a scenic walking space. To keep both humans and animals safe, University Facilities asks all visitors to keep their pets on leashes while walking along the asphalt pathway. Lake Drive is the only vehicular entrance to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and has regular vehicular traffic. In addition to being a well-used service road, emergency responders rely on Lake Drive to access the plant. Your help in keeping pets leashed and ideally out of the roadway as vehicles travel to and from the plant is much appreciated.

Lake Hartwell

When left unbagged, untreated pet waste containing harmful bacteria enters stormwater runoff. This material impacts wildlife living in or near Hartwell Lake. Bacterial pollution can also harm water quality for local recreation and drinking. The best way to counter bacterial pollution is to bag all pet waste. If left behind, simply being contained prevents the spread of bacteria via runoff. Even so, Clemson University Facilities has installed signs along Lake Drive to remind everyone to bag their pet’s waste and dispose of it in the nearest trash receptacle. This keeps the path not just environmentally friendly but a pleasant for everyone to use. We’re grateful for everyone’s contribution in this—it’s a community effort to ensure the lake remains healthy and the path remains open for everyone to enjoy.

Clemson University has spent the summer preparing a plan for on-campus learning for the coming fall semester. To this end, many changes to how students, faculty and staff interact are being made on Clemson’s campus, particularly in the classroom experience. General best practices such as face coverings and social distancing will be required while indoors. A specific strategy has been developed for academic buildings to meet the university’s expectations for safe learning within the classroom.

An ad hoc team consisting of space planners, building officials, and design professionals from various Facilities departments have been assisting Clemson University Emergency Management, Occupational & Environmental Safety, Building Security Coordinators, as well as the Provost to define how spaces are utilized with the guidelines for social distancing. As part of this, each classroom space is detailed with furniture layouts and chair placements.

This effort determines the number of students a classroom can accommodate while ensuring proper distancing.

Most Clemson courses are a hybrid of face to face instruction with online components. For larger classes to remain in-person, Facilities is helping to find additional spaces on campus that will accommodate large groups while also maintaining social distancing protocol. We have also collaborated with CCIT and academic affairs and the Provost to equip almost 700 classrooms, labs, and other spaces, with furniture, microphones and cameras installed in many classrooms.

This will allow for livestreaming of lectures for online instruction. With the goal of having the majority of classes that have face to face instruction blended with online components, Clemson is working diligently to ensure that this plan meets the medical guidelines for COVID-19 social distancing.

For more information about Clemson’s plan for the fall semester, please see the university’s dedicated website for COVID-19. There you can find up-to-date news, tips and best practices for students, faculty and staff.

There are many projects underway and the University is taking advantage of summer vacation for many to accomplish as much work as possible before the fall semester.

Highway 93

The underground utilities installation along Highway 93 between Sherman Road and Centennial Blvd. is complete and the highway is now fully open to traffic.  Permanent traffic lines will be painted on the roadway within the coming weeks.

Calhoun Drive Intersection Reconstruction

The intersection of Calhoun Drive and Highway 93 is being modified to improve traffic flow. A raised crosswalk similar to the pedestrian safety table on Williamson Road between Memorial Stadium and the Scroll of Honor is being developed for pedestrians who will cross Highway 93 between Sikes Hall and the new College of Business. Work is on schedule with a projected full reopening of the intersection this August.

Cherry / McMillan Intersection

Phase I of the underground utilities installation has been completed at the intersection of Cherry Road and McMillan Road. Phase II is scheduled to begin on July 22 and will require another full closure of the intersection until August 1. The third and final phase of the installation in this area will be scheduled for late 2019.

McMillan Road near Redfern

Installation of underground utilities across McMillan Road between the Redfern Health Center and Edwards Hall is expected to begin the first week of July. This work should take approximately three weeks to complete.

Newman / McMillan Intersection

Newman Road is being widened to four-lanes north of McMillan Road. Work is underway to prepare for an upcoming road closure to be announced. Once started, the intersection will be closed for approx. three to four weeks, but expected to open by August 12. Aside from brief disruptions relying on flagmen to guide travelers through the construction area, Newman Road currently remains open.

Perimeter / Lot C-1

A new traffic light with dedicated turn lanes is being established at the intersection of Perimeter Road and the commuter parking Lot C-1. This area will see one-lane traffic at times, guided by flagmen to allow drivers to travel both directions in turn.

More information

Please see the Clemson University Road Work Google Map for the most up-to-date information on current construction schedules. We also post updates regarding the latest developments to our Twitter feed. Finally, those wishing to avoid having to navigate construction using their own vehicle can take advantage of Parking Services’ Park-n-Ride service. See their summer schedule for more information.

The ClemsonLIFE program continues to grow so much that its current headquarters on the third floor of Godfrey Hall is no longer adequate for its size. In response to a need for additional square footage, ClemsonLIFE will move to a new location on Clemson’s main campus.

Starting this summer, ClemsonLIFE will officially claim the garden level of Tillman Hall as its new home. With an expected 13 new students arriving this fall–increasing the program’s enrollment to 40 students–the goal of the move is to establish a larger, inviting ‘home’ for all. The additional space in the garden level suite will be converted into a dedicated conference room for faculty,  and feature three classrooms for students. Director Erica Walters credits Founding Dean of the College of Education and ClemsonLIFE advocate George Petersen for acquiring the space and arranging the move, and Rick Owens of University Facilities for managing the renovations required by the program.

“It has been a true team effort, with support from President Clements, Dean Petersen, Dr. Joe Ryan, Rick Owens and his team, ” said Walters. “In August, the students of ClemsonLIFE will walk into a high-tech, top-notch facility that matches the Clemson Forward vision in research, engagement, academics, and living. We are thrilled to be a part of the Clemson family and ingrained in the culture of Clemson.”

One of the renovations included a full-floor restoration. The work was completed by external contractors, two full-time employees from ClemsonLIFE, as well as additional program volunteers.

ClemsonLIFE students will also enjoy new living quarters beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year. Housing has arranged for the students to move from Lightsey Bridge to the new Douthit Hills suites at the beginning of the fall semester.

Spring Flower Planting

Before entering the new suite, visitors will notice a new flower bed on Tillman’s north side. That’s the work of ClemsonLIFE participants, who worked with Landscape Services to plant various flora, which included “Setsugekkas” (camellia sassanqua), “Big Blues” (Liriope muscari), and “‘Nana’ Dwarf Yaupon Holly” (ilex vomitaria). The north side will also receive a new building awning welcoming students, families and guests to the main entrance, while still keeping with the traditional visual of Tillman.

Since the opening of it’s Swamp Rabbit Trail in 2010, the city of Greenville has drastically benefited from the positive contributions the additional outdoor recreational space brought to its community. The trail encouraged local citizens to walk, run, or bike outdoors along it’s nearly 20 miles that stretch from Greenville Technical College to the city of Travelers Rest, and features plenty of sights along the way, including Furman University and the Swamp Rabbit Café. Communities like Clemson have been looking to model area spaces with similarities to Greenville’s cross-town trail.

According to Planning & Design Director Gerald Vander Mey, Clemson won’t have to wait much longer.  Recently, Vander Mey and his team received a $1M grant from the South Carolina Department of Transportation for the implementation of an outdoor walking and biking trail running from the edge of Clemson University’s campus towards the city of Pendleton. The grant has been matched with an additional $250K in funds from the University, and will be used for the grading, drainage, paving, signage, and trail head amenities for the path. Vander Mey says the overall goal of the trail will be to eventually reach the Clemson University Research Park in Anderson, but that it will take time and additional planning to extend it that far.

This project is said to come from a continued effort by the University and its staff to support healthy living, sustainability, and the need for transportation demand management (TDM). University Facilities has managed similar projects in the past, such as creating bike ways along Perimeter Road as well as extending pedestrian sidewalks on campus, and are looking forward to the opportunity to create a new trail for public use. The project will be managed by SCDOT, and will stretch at least to Highway 93. This will allow the trail to connect to the Green Crescent Trail, another outdoor biking and walking path that will stretch from Clemson, through Central, and out to Easley.

The trail leading from Clemson will be paved with asphalt, and will stretch 10 feet wide to leave room for walkers, bikers, and runners coming from either direction.  Vander Mey says that he not only expects the trail to help enhance the quality of life of the campus and community, but that he also thinks it will help recruit and retain more students in the future, as well as provide new opportunities for outdoor-based classes and programs for Clemson students.

Meetings between the Planning & Design department and SCDOT are underway, and initial plans for the trail have been presented to administration and the Board of Trustees.

Students have returned to campus to find a newly completed art installation just outside of Core Campus. The small courtyards outside of several of the building’s entrances have traded traditional landscaping for forests of steel, the spires of which hold up flocks of colorful wing-forms. The commissioned artist, Koryn Rolstad, commented that the piece would “integrate the ‘Chroma’ of sunset to sunrise, seasons, and integrate the University school colors for a flowing energizing and elegant spectrum experience.”

This latest infusion of art into Core Campus’s outdoor space can be attributed to Atelier InSite, a Creative Inquiry program driven by students whose focus is to bring public art to Clemson’s campus.  The program previously worked with San Francisco-based artist Klari Reis to bring the “Clemson Genus Project” to the Life Sciences Facility in 2014, and will be installing a new work this Fall semester for Lee III.

The Core Campus endeavor first began back in 2015, during which the students and faculty in Atelier InSite fielded over 200+ artist portfolios. Art professor David Detrich stated that one of the greatest challenges over the course of the two year selection and installation process was the “magnitude of the scope of the project,” but that Rolstad was chosen for her success in other similar settings. Atelier InSite student Michala Stewart added that the site-specific work “filled both the exterior and interior of Core with different designs that still complement one another so well.” Michala was also able to participate in the large scale installment in collaboration with other students and faculty, including Mr. Detrich, exemplifying Atelier InSite’s mission to include students in every step of the public art development process.

Detrich hopes that the work “becomes a great conversation piece between nature and architecture.” He states that the color is meant to lure participants out into the courtyard or into Core Campus B to engage them in a new part of Core Campus in which they may find new meaning. Michala also believes that the piece will engage her fellow students in something new and interesting, and hopes that Rolstad’s work will be “like a breath of fresh air.”

University Facilities also had a significant role to play, not only in the process of the art installation, but also in the finer details of the surrounding area. After the artist’s work was successfully installed, University Facilities took over to pave the walkways among the art, plant greenery under the colored spokes, and ensure that drainage was properly installed around the courtyard. Campus Planner & Landscape Architect Barry Anderson commented on how University Facilities worked to ensure that the additions were “implemented in a fashion that complimented the artist’s intentions,” and “[ensured] the experience of the art was fully accessible to all who want to explore the art from within.”

This project, as with all projects from Atelier InSite, was a major cross-campus collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. Detrich says that the growth he has seen from his students over the course of this two-year effort stems from their involvement in every aspect of the undertaking. He believes that “they quickly become invested in the process in that each project becomes part of a contributing mark they leave on campus.” Michala also reflected on how she “was treated as part of the team and helped with nearly every aspect of the large installation,” teaching her not only how the process is carried out, but also about how to work as a part of a large team of faculty and staff.

Rolstad’s work can be viewed in the two main courtyards of Core Campus, as well as within the Core Campus B building, hanging down from above.