Portman, Georgia Tech Announce Major Mixed-Use Project in Atlanta’s Tech Square

By Robert Demeter

Rendering of Coda

Atlanta–Portman Holdings and the Georgia Institute of Technology recently announced The High Performance Computing Center, or Coda, a 12-story office building located in Atlanta’s Technology Square. The 750,000-square-foot mixed-use project represents a $375 million investment into the city’s innovation district. Coda represents the next phase at Atlanta’s Tech Square, the city’s most sought-after neighborhood for technology- and science-based companies.

The development will feature 620,000 square feet of office space designed to enable collaboration between research and industry, with Georgia Tech occupying about half of the space. It will also include an 80,000-square-foot data center, which Next Tier HD has been selected to operate. Additionally, approximately 40,000 square feet of retail space will be available, including the adaptive reuse of the historic Crum & Forster building, which will become a local gathering place and an outdoor living room for both Tech Square and Midtown Atlanta.

“The Portman team is honored to bring to life the vision for this mixed-use property at Tech Square, unlike anything else in the southeastern United States,” said Ambrish Baisiwala, CEO of Portman Holdings. “We’re excited to develop Coda – encompassing collaborative office space, co-working and research facilities, a high performance computing center and interactive community space, collectively enhancing the innovation eco-system created by Georgia Tech and Midtown.”

“With Georgia Tech as the anchor tenant, the high performance computing center’s interdisciplinary, collaborative environment will enhance Tech Square’s positive impact in Midtown Atlanta, bringing together people in a mixed-use community of innovation, education and intelligent exchange,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. Peterson. “In 12 short years Tech Square has become the Southeast’s premier innovation neighborhood.”

Rendering of Coda

John Portman & Associates is designing the facility in order to achieve the primary goal of bringing research and commercialization together. One of the highlights of the project will be the central collaborative core which will connect the two towers. The gathering nexus will uniquely connect every floor from top to bottom.

“We believe innovation is generated by looking at things in a different way,” stated Pierluca Maffey, vice president of design for John Portman & Associates. “So we are creating spaces that allow brilliant thinkers, creative minds and smart business people to come together, share their points of view and start a process that leads to the next big idea.”

The mixed-use development will serve as an urban “main street” for the campus and community. Portman Holdings’ Travis Garland and JLL will handle leasing efforts for the office and retail space at the site.

Invest Atlanta has been very supportive of the project, which is anticipated to have an economic impact of $813.8 million and will have significant economic benefits–not only through the creation of 2,100 construction jobs and 2,400 permanent jobs upon completion, but also through its impact on innovation in the region.

Tech Square is a magnet for tech startups which connects the intellectual capital of Georgia Tech with the thriving business community of Midtown Atlanta. The area has attracted industry innovation centers such as AT&T Mobility, Panasonic Automotive, Southern Co., Delta Airlines, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola Enterprises, NCR and ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas. Along with the new NCR world headquarters under development and Tech Square Labs, the 8-block urban Technology Square campus will soon total three million square feet of commercial space and more than $1 billion invested.

Renderings courtesy of John Portman & Associates