Georgia Tech Research Institute Completes Cobb County Research Facility South

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) celebrated the opening of the Cobb County Research Facility South in May of 2019. Located in Smyrna on land purchased from Lockheed Martin, the 350,000-sf campus houses the Aerospace, Transportation, and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS); the Cybersecurity, Information Protection, and Hardware Evaluation Research Laboratory (CIPHER); the Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS); and the Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL). The facility also offers traditional offices, collaboration areas, an auditorium, multiple coffee bars, and space for future expansion. The project included the renovation of 205,500 sf in an existing office building to create research space for computing and electronics, and the transformation of 144,500 sf in a 403,5000-sf warehouse into high-bay laboratories accommodating two 10-ton cranes and a 30-ton crane. New utility services including power, water, gas, and sanitary sewer were installed for the 52-acre parcel, which includes 20 acres of undeveloped land. The design-build team for the $42 million project was Flad Architects and McCarthy Building Companies with JLL as project manager.