Georgia Tech EcoCommons
Ferst Drive and State Street NW

World-renowned sculptor Patrick Dougherty was commissioned by Georgia Tech to create one of his unique, large-scale art installations.

"Chip Off the Ole Block” is made entirely of saplings and natural materials that were sourced by volunteers at Serenbe, the new Urbanism community located in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia. The large-scale installation enjoys a commanding location on the newest section of Georgia Tech’s EcoCommons, overlooking Ferst Drive and the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design. The project was overseen by Georgia Tech Arts and was constructed over three weeks in January 2021. Volunteers comprised of community members and Georgia Tech students and staff came together to bring the project to life, providing over 500 hours of service.

As part of Georgia Tech’s commitment to sustainability, the Institute has established the EcoCommons,80-acres of greenspace that will preserve the natural topography and link smart infrastructure across campus. This section of the EcoCommons, including the sculpture, received its official grand opening in April 2021.

This project was made possible by the Kendeda Fund and was sponsored by Georgia Tech Arts, the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, and Serenbe.

Chip Off the Ole Block was built by volunteers from the Georgia Tech, Serenbe, and greater Atlanta communties. Thanks and appreciation to:

Georgia Tech Student Volunteers:

Katerina Addington, Business Administration 2024
Rohan Bhukar, Bioinformatics 2021
Ian Buckalew, Mechanical Engineering 2023
Arthima Chaisiri, Architecture 2021
Cate Crutcher, Industrial Design 2024
Chris Geng, Architecture 2021
Margarita Groisman, Industrial Engineering 2022
Jessica Hertzberg, Civil Engineering 2021
Erin Kelly, Biomedical Engineering 2024
Ally Kimpling, International Affairs 2022
Logan Knight, Biomedical Engineering 2024
Hope Kutsche, Industrial Design 2023
Catriona MacGregor, Mechanical Engineering 2021
Jack MacLeod , Industrial Design 2021
Riley Majeske, Chemical Engineering 2023
Nick Rokos, Mechanical Engineering 2022
Mark Rotolo, Civil Engineering 2023
Ethan Sinclair, Mechanical Engineering 2022
Heeva Taghian, Aerospace Engineering 2022
Lily Turaski, Materials Science Engineering 2021
Jonathan Valdez, Mechanical Engineering 2022
Natalie Van Slyke, Biomedical Engineering 2024
Anna Wiles, Architecture 2023

Georgia Tech Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Community Volunteers:

Nada Azem
Morgan Boszilkov
Dylan Bagwell
Cathy Brim
Geinene Carson
Diana Duarte Castillo
Rebecca Dimling Cochran
David Crites
Everest
Stephanie Gage
Debra Lynn Gold
Jerushia Graham
Thomas Hayes
Laurie Tanner Henry, Industrial Management 1986
Melissa Hill
Linda Hirsch
Liz Jarecki, Industrial Design 2017
Susan Paul Johnson
Gabi Madrid
Kevin Middlebrooks
Madison Mitchell
Audrey Ward Morrison
Caitlin Murphy
Lizzie Needham
Sarah Neville, MBA 2020
Amelia Parr
Sandra Peterson
Lisbet Phillips, MS Information and Computer Science 1986
Bonnie Poulin
Alexandra Sachs
Brittany Schlosser
Jonathan Shaw, MS Architecture 2000; MS Industrial Design 2016
Behnoosh Tehrani
Anne Tracht
Alan Vaughn
Brian Walkabout
Howard Wertheimer, BS Architecture 1981; MArch 1985

Primary photograph courtesy the Kendeda Building. All other photographs by Diana Duarte.