Georgia Tech Unveils 100,000-Square-Foot Fanning Center

Staff Reports

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech officially unveiled one of the most ambitious athletic facility projects in school history Thursday with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center.

Located in the northeast corner of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, the new state-of-the-art facility spans more than 100,000 square feet and is designed to serve student-athletes across all 17 Yellow Jacket sports programs.

The ceremony marked the culmination of nearly a decade of planning and more than two years of construction.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, athletic director Ryan Alpert, student-athletes Henry Gibbs and Alejandra Cruz, and facility namesake Dr. Thomas A. Fanning all spoke during Thursday’s event.

The Fanning Center includes expanded football meeting and office space along with cutting-edge areas dedicated to strength and conditioning, sports medicine, nutrition and Georgia Tech’s first sports science laboratory.

Approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in April 2022, the facility was named in honor of Fanning in November 2023 before construction began in 2024.

The project also emphasizes sustainability. Steel from portions of Bobby Dodd Stadium demolished during construction was repurposed into the new building, while cross-laminated timber throughout the facility was designed to reduce the structure’s carbon footprint and improve student-athlete well-being.

One of the centerpiece additions is the sports science lab, which features markerless motion-capture cameras, force plates and advanced gait-analysis technology.

The sports medicine and recovery areas include hydrotherapy equipment, anti-gravity treadmills, infrared light beds, hydromassage chairs and a hyperbaric chamber.

Georgia Tech’s strength and conditioning area totals more than 17,000 square feet and features 32 fully equipped training racks — nearly triple the capacity of Tech’s previous primary weight room. Each rack includes real-time performance tracking technology and HD monitors to provide athletes immediate feedback during workouts.

The facility also strengthens Georgia Tech’s partnership with Emory Healthcare. The sports science lab was modeled after Emory’s Sports Performance and Research Center at the Atlanta Falcons’ training complex in Flowery Branch.

Through the partnership, Georgia Tech athletes will have access to advanced injury-prevention technology, rehabilitation resources and performance data analysis designed to improve athlete development and reduce injury risk.

The center is named after Fanning, a three-time Georgia Tech graduate and former Southern Company president and CEO who has long supported the university and its athletic programs through leadership roles and philanthropy.

Georgia Tech officials believe the new facility will play a major role in recruiting, player development and the future growth of Yellow Jacket athletics for years to come.