Tulane University announced a new major development for its Uptown campus: an expanded green space that will remove the parking lot on Newcomb Circle and will combine Newcomb Quad and the Berger Family Lawn.

The green space, called “Unified Green,” will feature a central plaza with lighting and seating areas for “intimate gatherings and large-scale campus events,” according to Tulane’s website. 

Unified Green will also enhance stormwater mitigation and include an underground detention system that temporarily stores rainwater in times of heavy rain, reducing the strain on local infrastructure and flood risk. After a storm, the rainwater will be released or absorbed into the ground. 

This is the fourth and final phase of Tulane’s multi-year initiative of making campus more pedestrian-friendly and enhancing “the overall campus experience,” Tulane said in the announcement on Monday. 

The university has previously redeveloped the Malkin Sacks Commons, Paul Hall and River and Lake Residential Halls over the past seven years. 

Construction is set to begin on April 20 and end in the spring of 2027. 

The landscape architect for the project is Towers Golde, a firm based out of Connecticut that also transformed McAlister Place from a road to a walking path in 2010. The firm also designed spaces at Yale University, University of Connecticut, Fairfield University and Smith College.