Panhellenic Commemorative Plaza

The University of South Florida (USF) wanted to celebrate the contributions of the “Divine Nine,”, nine black Greek-letter organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, to the USF community, educational institutions, and communities beyond the campus with the construction of monuments in the center of the sidewalk corridor just northwest of the Marshall Student Center. The university also had an additional goal to increase pedestrian traffic to the Plaza, as well as across its campus.

DRMP provided design services for the design of a 1,000-LF, 10-foot-wide sidewalk in the heart of USF’s campus. In addition to commemorating the contributions of the “Divine Nine,” the sidewalk also supported USF’s goal to increase pedestrian traffic to the Plaza and across campus. There were several design challenges on the project including avoiding conflicts with shallow utilities, providing ADA-compliant grades and dimensions, regrading the surrounding existing surfaces to have positive drainage, and making sure there would be no unsightly standing puddles after a rainfall. The project team also incorporated BioBarrier – an environmentally-friendly, cost-effective herbicide that creates a zone that inhibits root growth to prevent damage to the sidewalk from adjacent trees in the area. DRMP engineers also made sure the plaza was just as inviting and safe at night by incorporating lighting and electrical design.

The design of this sidewalk and commemorative plaza successfully increased foot traffic across the university’s campus and was a successful representation of the Panhellenic community’s contributions to USF.