Right now, Ruppert Landscape Co. contractors are applying the official Look of the Games colors to the second largest Olympic project for the Centennial Olympic Games-- the Olympic Village. Designed by a collaboration between Landscape Architects at Bishop Planning Consultants (BPC) and the architectural teams of Niles Bolton Associates and Nix Mann Viehman Architects, the 8-acre Olympic Village shelters 4,000 beds for athletes during the Olympic Games and 2,000 student beds for use by Georgia State University thereafter. Bounded by North Avenue, a major east-west connector which traverses the Midtown Atlanta area; by the Downtown Connector Interstates 75 & 85 on the east; by the existing property boundaries of Techwood Homes on the south; and Techwood Drive on the west which connects the Georgia Institute of Technology campus and Techwood Homes with the Downtown Atlanta core area, this housing facility is defined by a sensitive approach to open spaces and its architectural elements.

Principle Designer and Project Manager David Bishop worked very closely with the architects during the planning phase of work to create a sequence of well-defined, unfolding spaces that will allow for a multiplicity of functional and recreational activities. The establishment of four architectural structures (ranging in height from 5 to 15 stories) along the edges of the site allow for a reestablishment of the historic street frontage along North Avenue. Additional commercial space is provided in the first floor of the North Avenue Building. This low rise building turns the eastern corner of the site and rises to ten stories along the edge facing the interstate. A second building rises up at the southeastern corner of the site, further defining the Olympic Village, and an additional structure completes the intersection of North Avenue and Techwood. The placement of these buildings enabled BPC to create a defensible space approach to the exterior environment; upon entering the housing development, the visitor experiences "a sequence of spatial experiences" that visually transform public space into semi-private housing space.

The slope of North Avenue allows any visitor to this facility to easily access the plaza and courtyard area at street level. Furthermore, at the west end of the site, a "grand and ceremonial stair" was designed by BPC to visually acknowledge the Georgia Tech. campus and create a dramatic entryway into the courtyard (which actually forms the roof of the unobtrusive parking deck!). Rooftop "at-grade" landscaping introduces a portion of the natural environment into a heavily architected and structured space.

Once the visitor has entered the secured area, the rooftop landscaping terraces downward to the great lawn area. Through a series of stepped levels, the facility enables access to the gymnasium, parking decks, and the student arrival area. In essence, the landscape serves as a crossroads between the parking deck and the lawn area, the urban and the suburban, the hard and the soft. Otherwise known as the Great Lawn, this space is designed to be the place where students can engage in a variety of passive and active recreational activities.

Like the other venues, the landscape elements were chosen for their suitability to the Georgian urban environment and to the official Look of the Games. Willow oaks, zelkovas, maples, birch and other plant material were carefully selected and placed for their respective uses: as the official street tree, the willow oak continues the stately character of the Techwood Drive edge ; the zelkovas were chosen for their upwardly arching habit that will serve as a welcoming canopy on the rooftop.

As the face of the city continues to change and unfold before the Centennial Games, "anything can and will happen during these last few weeks," remarks David Bishop. Yet the nuances and color of the landscape and legacy of the Games will continue to make Atlanta a "truly spectacular place to be!"

Photo Caption: A rooftop garden and an intricate plaza green installed by Ruppert Landscape Co. are the major features of the Olympic Village at Georgia Tech University.

Planting Materials for the Olympic Village:

Lagerstroemia Carolina Beauty

Quercus Laurifolia Darlington

Cornus Florida

Ilex Attenuata Fosteri

Cryptomeria Japonica

Magnolia Grandiflora

Ilex Nellie R. Stevens

Betula Nigra

Acer Rubrum Oct. Glory

Acer Saccharum Legacy

Ilex Cornuta Bufordii

Ilex Vomitoria Roundleaf

Acer Palm Dessectum Red

Quercus Phellos

Zelkova Serrata

Ilex Cornuta Burfordii

Juniperus Squamata Blue Star

Ilex Cornuta Carissa

Ilex Cornuta Rotunda

Prunus Laurocerasus Nana

Prunus Laurocepasus

Azalea Gumpo White

Ilex Crenata Helleri

Ilex Cornuta Needlepoint

Prunus Laurocerasus oto Luyken

Juniperus Chinesis Sargentii

Liriope Muscari Big Blue

Parthenocissus Tricuspidata

Hedera Helix

Liriope Musc John Burch

Ophiopogon Japonicus

Liriope Muscari Variegata

Assorted annuals