Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

In this case, what’s on the outside counts too

When one constructs a new building there is much discussion, deliberation and planning that goes into figuring out what will go into it. There’s also an awful lot of creativity invested in deciding what it will look like. People may not realize, however, how much thought goes into figuring out what the landscaping around the building will look like.

Right now if you travel west from the George S. Eccles Business Building toward the new College of Agriculture Building and Old Main you’ll discover a parking lot that separates our building from theirs. Once Huntsman Hall is finished, nearly all of that parking lot will be gone and replaced with some green space that we are calling “the plaza.”

Below is a picture that will help you envision the area I’m talking about. The way it is represented in this concept drawing isn’t necessarily the way it will look. That’s what we are deciding now. We are considering questions like, where will we plant trees? How many will we plant? What kind of trees should we plant? Will there be park benches? Should we put up a statue to someone so the pigeons will have a place to land?

Did you realize there were so many decisions that need to be made when a new facility like this goes up? Even the type of grass that is planted must be decided. We want to put in some sort of native grass so it will require less watering to keep our plaza green and inviting. These are all details that we must work out. In the not too distant future someone will probably kick back on the grass there and do some studying. Only those of you who read this blog will understand how much planning went into developing that little patch of ground. Maybe you’ll appreciate it a little more than others who don’t even know they are on “the plaza.” Just remember to look for a statue and if there’s one there, watch out for pigeons.

Ken Snyder