Construction is under way on the Sanford S. Atwood Chemistry Center addition, which will be a hub for Emory's growing science commons. Completion is expected in 2015.  

Holder Construction began site work in mid-May, erecting construction fencing around the project, which is bordered by Dowman Drive, White Hall, Emerson Hall and the Psychology & Interdisciplinary Sciences building.  

Demolition work has started inside the Atwood Chemistry Center, taking place to develop office swing office space that will be needed by the end of the summer, says Project Manager Al Herzog with Emory's Planning, Design and Construction.

"These offices will be used during the course of the project by personnel displaced by construction within Atwood," explains Herzog. "Once their new offices are completed they will vacate, and others will then occupy the offices while they await the completion of their new offices."

Wayfinding signs will help people navigate safely around the construction, he adds.

Trees located within the project footprint, or close to the project that would have been severely impacted by the construction, have been removed.

Under Emory's No Net Loss of Forest Canopy policy, the 31 trees removed at the construction site will be replaced within the project's landscape, says University Landscape Architect James Johnson.

"The University strives to protect and maintain the forested areas of campus," notes Johnson, who helped create the No Net Loss policy that guarantees that every time a tree is removed, a sufficient number of trees will be planted to maintain the same forest canopy.

The expansion of the Atwood Chemistry Center includes the addition of 70,000 square feet of new space, and the renovation of about 40,000 square feet of existing space. Featuring sustainable design and building techniques, the project will be built to the University's environmental stewardship standards.