SoutheastSoutheast Construction ProjectsBest Projects2011

Piedmont Park North Woods Expansion, Atlanta

By Scott Judy

Best Landscape/Hardscape/Urban Development

Photo courtesy of Brasfield & Gorrie

The North Woods expansion provided a 40% increase in the size of the 116-year-old park.

Historic Piedmont Park, a 116-year-old Atlanta landmark, saw its size grow by 53 acres, or about 40%, with the North Woods Expansion project.

Brasfield & Gorrie served as the general contractor for the multi-phase expansion. Key priorities for the project's first phase included preparing the undeveloped land, reclaiming more than four acres of usable green space in the park's historic section and integrating pathways and trails that connect the expanded and historic portions.

Added features include new meadows, an interactive fountain, a multipurpose field, a basketball court and an expanded dog park.

The biggest challenge was the site itself. Only after the project team mobilized was it discovered that the new, undeveloped area had been used as an unauthorized site for waste disposal. Subsequent soil testing revealed unsuitable soils in the main lawn section near the fountain.

This discovery required redesigning and extending a planned retaining wall through the use of auger-cast piles and other means, says Robert Tysinger, Brasfield & Gorrie's senior project manager.

“This project was one of our more challenging,” he adds.

“All disciplines of civil, landscaping, hardscape, urban design, sustainability and environmental responsibility came to bear on the project.”

Key Players

Owner: Piedmont Park Conservancy, Atlanta

Contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie, Kennesaw, Ga.

Construction Manager: Silverman Construction Program Management, Atlanta

Designer: Kimley-Horn & Associates/Urban Resource Group, Atlanta

MEP Engineer: Womack & Associates, Atlanta

Submitted by:

Brasfield & Gorrie

Scott Judy is Deputy Editor for Regions, and editor of ENR Southeast, one of Engineering News-Record's 10 Regional publications. His roughly 27 years as a construction journalist began with an 11-year stint covering Midwest construction projects. In 2000, Judy helped launch the publication now known as ENR Southeast. He often delves into controversial aspects of the construction industry such as bankruptcies and fatal accidents, and wishes he would never have to cover another accident but suspects that he might.