Greetings!

Construction continues in the Peabody neighborhood, specifically along Magnolia Circle and at the Home Economics and Mayborn site. This month’s update includes area construction milestones and helpful resources for navigating the area.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

• The university, in coordination with Messer Construction, established a live update site that features a weekly schedule of construction activity and a regularly updated map of the Peabody neighborhood with construction and fencing noted. The link can also be found on the Peabody neighborhood webpage, a hub of information for community members on all of the efforts at Peabody.
• Foundation preparation will begin next month. This includes rock excavation and soil removal.

• Loud noise from foundation preparation construction will be heard throughout the day. However, all loud construction noise will cease during exams.

• Accessible pathways will be maintained near and around the construction area.
• The North Pedestrian Bridge will be inaccessible due to maintenance activities starting the week of May 13 until July 31. More information to follow in April.

Getting Around: Mobility and VandyVans 

• VandyVans stops continue to be located at North Hall and Hank Ingram Hall. Hours of operation for VandyVans are 6:00 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. daily. A walking escort may be requested, at any time, by calling the VUPS Communications Center at (615) 322-2745.
• Be sure to download the DoubleMap app and select Vanderbilt. This allows riders to track the progress of shuttles in real time.
• Short-term and long-term mobility solutions for the Peabody neighborhood will be addressed through the development of a long-term mobility and transportation plan, MoveVU, an initiative of FutureVU.
• For parking questions, contact VUPS Parking Services at (615) 322-2554.

Coming in April: 

The April edition of the newsletter will provide more information on construction activities around upcoming key events (The Party, Commencement), as well as activities that will take place over the summer.

DESIGN UPDATES

The FutureVU vision, in accordance with recommendations from the Advisory Accessibility Task Force (AATF), believes that diversity, inclusion and accessibility are a priority in campus planning.

The Home Economics and Mayborn buildings were the first two buildings to open in 1916 on the new campus of George Peabody College for Teachers. While they boasted marble floors and impressive columns, they were not very accessible. As the design team considered renovations to Mayborn and Home Economics, the following elements were incorporated into the future design to ensure that the renovated buildings would align with the FutureVU principles that emphasize diversity, inclusion and accessibility:

• A multi-stop elevator in the new connector building, which provides accessibility to all floors in both buildings. Everyone will use the same route to enter the building and access all floors by the same means.
• A thorough examination of items such as accessible restrooms on all floors of each building, door hardware, restroom fixture locations, signage, water coolers, and exterior access will ensure that any person with a disability is able to take full advantage of all amenities of the building.
• As exterior grading is reworked, slopes will be eased to make the exterior access around the entire site more accessible for everyone.

As the design team considers future phases of work at Peabody, a variety of stakeholders will be engaged and additional considerations will be made in alignment with the efforts of the AATF on accessibility at Peabody.