Facilities Management

This has been a banner year for Emma Brodzik, Georgia Tech employee and soon-to-be recipient of a master’s in sustainable energy and environmental management.  

Georgia Tech will celebrate its 25th annual Earth Day with a week of events. The celebration kicked off earlier today with a keynote event featuring Vice President for Infrastructure and Sustainability Maria Cimilluca. She shared her inspiring vision for the future of sustainability at Georgia Tech. 

This year marks the 25th anniversary of celebrating Earth Day at Georgia Tech. A four-day schedule of events is planned for this campuswide program to celebrate nature, the preservation of our planet, and the Georgia Tech community’s contributions to campus sustainability. A few events are already collecting items or have opened registration — so get a head start on your Earth Day plans.

The white oak, or Quercus alba, beside the staircase leading up to Tech Tower proudly frames the tower with its large leafy crown. Standing 103 feet high and almost as iconic as Tech Tower itself, this majestic hardwood has reigned over campus for more than a century.

The Georgia Institute of Technology has selected Maria Cimilluca as the inaugural vice president for Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S). Under Cimilluca’s leadership, the newly created unit will continue to evolve and improve Georgia Tech’s physical environment that spans more than 400 acres in midtown Atlanta. This role is responsible for leading the Institute’s campus sustainability plans as well as the design, planning, and operations of the campus infrastructure.

The nearly 10 years of planning, programming, building and execution appear to have paid off.

The Georgia Tech Library, which finished its decade-long reimagining and renovation in September 2020 with the opening of Price Gilbert Memorial Library, has been awarded multiple times for its efforts in historic preservation, architecture and lighting design.

The guys at Georgia Tech may not have noticed, but there is something different about the restrooms on campus. Three hundred and eight automatic, one pint urinals have been installed throughout the Institute.

For more than 10 years, the Office of Facilities Management has been testing low flow water fixtures to reduce the campus’ water consumption. Many of the newer buildings on campus have energy and water efficient bathrooms with automatic faucets and low flow toilets, and now several of the older buildings will be receiving these upgrades as well.

When it comes to memorable moments while working at Georgia Tech, Warren Page is quick to mention the “snowstorm o’doom” (as Creative Loafing called it) that crippled Atlanta in 2011. 

“I spent three days sleeping on a couch here on campus,” said Page, director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance. “The funny thing was that we had the campus open, but no one could get here.”

This is just one of the memories that Page is taking with him as he retires from the Institute on June 1 after 16 years in his current position.

The Georgia Institute of Technology earned three out of a possible four stars from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation program. PGMS accreditation focuses on three categories: environmental stewardship, economic performance and social responsibilities.

As the fall semester kicks off, many campus construction projects are winding down.

In recent months, crews around campus have been busy building, refurbishing, and maintaining Georgia Tech’s campus in preparation for another year of activity. Facilities staff have been doing preventative maintenance on many buildings’ boilers. The Landscape Services group has been beautifying campus pathways by street sweeping, freshening crosswalks, and pressure washing sidewalks.