Terman park opening approaches

The park that will replace the Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Center is beginning to take shape after months of demolition and clearing. The park is set to open on schedule later this month. (ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily)

 After six months of demolition, the site of the Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Center is starting to look like the park it is set to become. According to University officials, the park will open later this month.

The new open space will preserve the large fountain that previously faced the center of the Terman building. The fountain sits in a bowl-shaped recession that is almost fully landscaped with sod and new trees for its opening.

The University has not announced any specific plans, but the park area is considered only temporary. According to the Stanford Report, one reason for leaving the recessed fountain was to stop the need for future excavation for the foundation of a building.

Almost none of the demolished Terman building is headed to the landfill. According to project manager Matthew Griffis, 99.6 percent of the material is headed for recycling and reuse.

“Conscientious building demolition underscores Stanford’s commitment to sustainability and demonstrates responsible management through the end of a building’s life,” reads Sustainable Stanford’s website for the project.

Some pieces of the former building are being repurposed around campus. According to a report published by Sustainable Stanford, roof tiles from Terman are being re-installed in the rising West Campus Recreation Center. Additionally, seats from Terman’s auditorium will be re-installed in an auditorium in the final building of the new engineering quad, and pavement tiles will be used to renovate the nearby Petersen-Mitchell courtyard. Other items, such as exterior light fixtures and bike racks, will be returned to the site and redistributed around campus.

One piece of the Terman park, the small lot across Lomita Mall from the pond area, is temporarily being left unlandscaped. The lot, which formerly housed student publications including The Daily, will eventually be made into a turf recreation area, but for now is being reserved for the Solar Decathlon project, a sustainable housing competition among 20 universities.

“Since new turf and trees could potentially be damaged if installed prior to this use, we are in the process of determining final needs of the Solar Decathlon and will be phasing the completion of the … site landscaping accordingly,” Griffis said in an email to The Daily.

Mulch from the Stanford Hospital renovation project will be brought to the site so that the Solar Decathlon team can construct their project for the 2013 competition. Landscaping might resume on the area when the team moves its project to Irvine, Calif. in October 2013.

The exact date of the opening of the park has not been announced, but despite signs at the site indicating “Summer 2012,” Griffis said it is on track to open later this month.