Announcing Coda in Tech
Portman and Georgia Tech announce Coda in Technology Square
“Class T” building including high performance computing center to be constructed in Midtown Atlanta
ATLANTA (April 20, 2016) – Portman and Georgia Institute of Technology gathered Atlanta’s civic and business leaders today to announce Coda, an unprecedented “Class T” collaborative building including a high performance computing center located in Atlanta’s Tech Square. The approximately 750,000 square-foot mixed-use project represents a $375 million investment into the budding innovation district.
Within the development, 620,000 square feet will be office space designed to enable unparalleled collaboration between research and industry. Georgia Tech will occupy about half the office space. Nearly 40,000 square feet of retail space, including the adaptive reuse of the historic Crum & Forster building, will be activated by a plaza, which will become a local gathering place and outdoor living room for Tech Square and Midtown Atlanta. The development also includes an approximately 80,000 square-foot data center, which Next Tier HD has been selected to operate.
“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. “Bud” Peterson. “In 12 short years Tech Square has become the Southeast’s premier innovation neighborhood.”
Coda represents the next phase of Georgia Tech’s Tech Square – Atlanta’s most sought after neighborhood for technology- and science-based companies. The new complex will be programmed around high performance computing modeling, simulation and a sustainable innovation ecosystem that integrates the existing assets of Tech Square with new opportunities in interdisciplinary research, commercialization and sustainability.
John Portman & Associates is designing the facility in order to achieve the primary goal of bringing research and commercialization together. The design includes the creation of an outdoor urban plaza bordered by retail and a giant interactive media wall, a high performance data center, and two office towers connected by a central collaborative core. This collaborative core will be a gathering nexus uniquely connecting every floor from top to bottom. The design truly represents the next generation of office space and will be a unique landmark for the City of Atlanta.
“We believe innovation is generated by looking at things in a different way,” explains 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.”
Tech Square connects the intellectual capital of Georgia Tech with the thriving business community in Midtown Atlanta. It is a magnet for tech startups and university spinoffs. The area has attracted industry innovation centers from AT&T Mobility, Panasonic Automotive, Southern Company, 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 eight block urban Technology Square campus will soon total three million square feet of commercial space and over $1 billion invested. The mixed-use development will serve as an urban “main street” for the campus and community. Leasable office and retail space will be represented by Portman Holdings’ Travis Garland, assisted by JLL.
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 jobs onsite after completion, but also through it’s impact on innovation in the region.
About Portman Holdings
Throughout the past 60 years, Portman Holdings has developed over 60 million square feet of premium real estate around the world with a focus on hospitality, office and mixed-use properties. The vertically integrated real estate development, investment and management company commands a successful global network and has a proven track record with the world’s top financial institutions. Portman Holdings continues to achieve success through investor, partner and client relationships that deliver exceptional real estate projects. For additional information, visit www.portmanholdings.comand follow the company on Twitter via @PortmanRE.
About John Portman & Associates
John Portman & Associates (JPA) is an internationally renowned architectural design firm with offices in Atlanta and Shanghai. Established in 1953, JPA has over 60 years of expertise in designing hotels, offices, residences, and mixed-use urban complexes. JPA projects can be seen in more than 60 cities worldwide. The firm’s architecture transcends national borders by striving for universal human appeal, delivering a memorable experience for users and a sound investment for owners and operators. For more information on John Portman & Associates, visit www.portmanusa.com and follow the company on Twitter via @JPortmanAssoc.
About Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation’s leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.