Atlanta's historic Morehouse College has produced such graduates as Martin Luther King Jr., Mayor Maynard Jackson and many other prominent civic, political, economic and social leaders. Now hosting the Olympic Preliminary Basketball Facility, the school continues to grow and has been a major academic force within the Atlanta area and across the United States. Landscape Architects at Bishop Planning Consultants (BPC) assisted architects Moody Nolan Ltd. with the master planning, site engineering, and landscape architectural design services for this unique project.

As the site for the preliminary rounds of basketball competitions, the relatively flat site -- with steep slopes at the southern and western edges-- located at the corner of Fair and Ashby Streets offered the design team the challenge of placing a 6,000 seat arena on a 3-acre site, while interweaving new exterior spaces into the existing campus. Circulation patterns and "people spaces" were studied carefully by BPC Project Manager Mary Michael to develop a planning and design methodology that met the criteria and concerns of both Morehouse College and ACOG.

Consequently, spectators will arrive by shuttle bus and access the Olympic Basketball site from the south, and "cueing lines" will form along Fair Street, continuing along Ashby Street. Shade will be provided by the New landscaping along the building's west boundary as along the newly designed streetscape will shade the site against the hot Georgian sunshine and will continue the thematic Look of the Games. Designed for human comfort and enjoyment, the spectator plaza is defined by the grand architecture of the Basketball facility on the south and the landscape planters, indigenous plant materials and steps along the northern edge. Strategically placed statue and civic artwork will denote the significance of this historically black institution and its surrounding community.

All athletes, officials and VIP's will access the site from Westview Drive. An existing service drive will be transformed into a ceremonial approach to welcome the special Olympic guests; this protected zone will be used solely by those with proper credentials and clearance. Once the athletes have arrived they will approach the basketball facility at the arena level. they will have direct access to the lockers and shower facilities as well as the competition floor. BPC credits the fact that athlete traffic never crosses the spectator traffic as being "one of the "hallmarks of the site planning and design effort."