The designs of the academic and business sides of campus are very different from each other, creating a separation both by location and by design.
Sitting areas at GT Student Center
The academic side feels much less busy, without much car traffic or noise pollution, while the business side feels much more urban, with heavy vehicular traffic and the noise that accompanies it. The academic side has wide shaded walkways that promote traveling in groups and socializing, sitting areas set up outside for groups to sit and collaborate, and peaceful greenery that is very soothing.
This part of campus was seemingly designed to promote interaction and collaboration, similar to what Alexandra Lange describes in her New York Times published article The Innovation Campus: Building Better Ideas (2016). Lange introduces the idea that collaborative spaces that encourage interaction and working together have a profound positive impact on creativity and innovation, particularly in the STEM fields at universities.
Rays Pizza restaurant at Tech Square
In contrast the business side has many busy intersections, more traditional narrow sidewalks, many restaurants that contribute to an large amount of pedestrian traffic, and an abundance of local businesses with constant traffic in and out. The differences in both ambient environment and physical design create a clear separation between business and academic halves of Georgia Tech. This separation between academic and business interests on campus aides students in the acquisition of real world experience.