Images: How Science Square’s two-tower first phase turned out

Less than two years after breaking ground, a Westside project billed as the “premier mixed-use life sciences district in the Southeast” and like nothing else in Atlanta officially opens for business this week.

Global real estate developer Trammell Crow Company and its partner Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures, a Georgia Tech affiliate, have wrapped construction on the first two-tower phase of Science Square, blending cutting-edge lab space and residential offerings where Midtown meets English Avenue.

In the works for more than a decade, Science Square is expected to eventually span 18 acres adjacent to Georgia Tech’s main campus, near an Atlanta BeltLine spoke trail and just north of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The initial phase includes a 370,000-square-foot life science building, Science Square Labs, that stands 13 stories with a modern-industrial aesthetic. Next door is a 14-story residential tower (with a smaller, adjacent standalone building) that’s also now open.

A main entry to the solar panel-topped parking garage between both Science Square new buildings. Photos by Garey Gomez; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

The 16,000-square-foot SkyDeck on the fifth floor delivers skyline views that renderings had promised. Photos by Garey Gomez; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

The university picked TCC and its multifamily subsidiary, High Street Residential, to build Science Square in 2021.The three buildings in the first phase broke ground in August 2022—and quickly topped out a year later.

Science Square Labs, as designed by Perkins + Will, aims to accommodate state-of-the-art lab and clean-room space for companies that appreciate modern amenities. Unique aspects include a 38,000-square-foot solar panel array atop the parking garage, which has infrastructure for 158 EV charging stations and includes 22 such stations today.

Other aspects include a lounge-like, 16,000-square-foot SkyDeck on the fifth floor with sweeping skyline views. Elsewhere is a fitness center, a tenant lounge and event space called The Commons, and a conference space.

Leases announced to date include 33,000 square feet on the 10th floor claimed by Portal Innovations, a life sciences venture development engine. TCC has also built out 33,000 square feet of furnished “graduator” spec office suites and lab space meant for growing life sciences companies.

Science Square Labs features a Konvekta energy recovery system, which extracts energy from exhaust air and returns it to the building’s HVAC system to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs.Photos by Garey Gomez; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

“We believe that this property, coupled with Atlanta’s talented and deep labor pool, will continue to help the city attract some of the world’s most innovative companies that are looking to grow their business and expand their footprint in the Southeast,” Katherine Lynch of TCC Atlanta said in an announcement this week for the project’s debut.

Georgia Tech president Ángel Cabrera called Science Square “one of the most exciting developments to come to Atlanta" in recent memory.

“[It] provides our city with its first biomedical research district,” Cabrera continued, “which will help innovators develop and scale their ideas into marketable solutions… and will lead the development of pioneering medical advances with the power to improve and save lives.”

In addition to Science Square Labs, the district’s initial phase also includes 280-unit multifamily tower The Grace Residences, which began move-ins earlier this month for what project officials describe as both affordable and market-rate renting options.

Developed by TCC’s residential subsidiary, High Street Residential, and designed by Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio architects, The Grace’s main building stands 14 stories, and it’s connected to a six-story mid-rise next door. Across both buildings, 28 units were designated as affordable housing, per the development team.

Views from a corner unit at The Grace Residences next to Science Square Labs. The Grace Residences/High Street Residential

Rendering depicting The Grace building’s zero-entry pool. The Grace Residences/High Street Residential

Market-rate rents for studio units with 520 square feet and up start at $1,825 per month right now.

The priciest Grace options currently listed—three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,452 square feet—start at $3,534 monthly.

Amenities include an indoor-outdoor sky lounge with Midtown and downtown views, a zero-entry pool, coworking spaces, a pet spa, bike room, club room, fitness center, and other perks. At street level, a 2,350-square-foot space is being reserved for retail, with SRS Real Estate Partners handling leasing efforts, officials have said.

With Science Square (formerly Technology Enterprise Park), five phases of development will eventually be located where North Avenue meets Northside Drive, just southwest of the institute’s main campus. Plans call for 1.8 million square feet of commercial lab space, roughly 500 apartments, and 25,000 square feet of retail at Science Square overall.

Find a closer look at the district’s initial phase in the gallery above.

Walls open in a Science Square tenant lounge to blur lines between indoors and out. Photos by Garey Gomez; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company