Two towers will be new home for business and industral engineering programs.
Georgia Tech officially kicked off the construction that will further expand the Institute’s footprint in Midtown Atlanta. The groundbreaking ceremony for Tech Square Phase 3 happened in the shadow of structures like Coda, Centergy, and the Technology Square Research Building where Tech has rapidly cultivated one of the country’s fastest-growing business and technology ecosystems.
This third phase of Technology Square will be anchored by two multi-story towers. The entire project is planned to add more than 400,000+ square feet of new space for research and collaboration. The primary buildings situated on the site, located on the blocks between 5th, Spring, and West Peachtree Streets, will both be named for philanthropists who have played a vital role in advancing Georgia Tech’s mission of progress and service. One tower named for principal donor Ernest Scheller, will be the new home of graduate and executive education programs of the Scheller College of Business. The second tower will be named George Tower, in recognition of Bill and Penny George, and will house the nation’s top-ranked industrial engineering program.
Georgia Tech transformed abandoned and blighted areas across the Midtown/Downtown Connector to open Technology Square in 2003. The second phase 21-story Coda Building opened in 2019 and has drawn more top-tier tech companies to work as close to Georgia Tech’s campus as possible.
“A successful innovation ecosystem requires not just good hardware — the right buildings in the right locations — but also good software: the right talent and programs and a culture of innovation,” said President Ángel Cabrera at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Tech alumnus and Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens was also on hand to celebrate the launch of the transformative project.
“Metro Atlanta’s diverse and thriving tech industry is the envy of many, and Tech Square has helped make that a reality.” Dickens said.
Since 2021, companies including Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Micron, Airbnb, and Nike have made significant investments to expand their presence in the neighborhood.
"Having this collaboration here between companies and one of the world's great academic institutions and different departments is critical,” said George, a graduate of Tech’s industrial engineering program.
“The new facilities of Tech Square Phase 3 will offer our students the ability to learn, collaborate, and develop in a new, innovative environment. Thanks to the generosity and support of our community, we are now better positioned than ever before to fulfill our mission of cultivating principled business leaders who thrive in a tech-driven world,’ said Dean Maryam Alavi of the Scheller College of Business.
Tech’s business programs have been growing and expanding, consistently ranking among the top 20 nationally.
"Dean Alavi and the Scheller college team have consistently been moving up the ladder and have number one for the entire college well within sight. This new tower should give a big boost toward that goal,” said Ernest Scheller.
University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue joined to help turn over the first shovels of earth where the towers will soon sit.
"These types of initiatives are happening around the state, and it’s the students that we are impacting,” said Perdue.
Jeb Stewart, a Georgia Tech graduate and son of Milton H. Stewart, the namesake of Tech’s school of industrial engineering, recognized the positive momentum this groundbreaking represented.
“Hope can start with things like education and opportunity—things that are going to happen in these buildings,” Stewart said.
“Hundreds of years from now when people come to Midtown and see these buildings, they will know they were built for students to learn and be innovators,” said President Cabrera.
In addition to the academic facilities, Tech Square Phase 3 will also include a large outdoor plaza with street-level retail and an underground parking deck. Project partners include architecture from booth Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio (RJTR) and Eskew Dumez Ripple and Turner Construction. The new development is planned to open in 2026.
