The Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB) opened in a formal dedication ceremony on September 11, 2015. After 55 years in the Cherry-Emerson building, the entire existence of the School of Biology, the School moved into its new home in EBB. This beautiful building houses all of the administrative offices of the School of Biology and 13 Biology faculty researchers, about 1/3 of the Biology faculty. About half of the 35 researchers in the building are from engineering schools and the other half are scientists from the College of Sciences.
Georgia Tech believes that scientists from engineering, biology, chemistry, and computing won’t discover new vaccines and medical devices — or advance what we know about diseases — by working on their own. The next biomedical breakthroughs will come from the collaboration between different laboratories and disciplines, working together to solve increasingly complex problems. That core belief led to the creation of the Engineered Biosystems Building, the newest building at Georgia Tech.
EBB is organized into research neighborhoods in chemical biology, cell and developmental biology, and systems biology. On each floor, groups of engineers and scientists work side-by-side in labs designed to enable researchers to solve some of the most difficult problems in biology.
President G.P. “Bud” Peterson said the building symbolizes what Georgia Tech is all about — collaboration and innovation.
“The EBB will drive innovation and have an undeniable impact on biomedical science and human health,” Peterson said. “EBB brings together some of the world’s finest researchers in a collaborative environment, and these collaborations will result in incredible breakthroughs.”
The building provides nearly 219,000 square feet of multidisciplinary research space and enhances the Institute’s partnerships with Emory University Hospital and with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“Together, we are changing the lives of children,” said Donna Hyland, president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare. “The space within this building helps bring our new Pediatric Technology Center to life and gives researchers another place to combine expertise in clinical care, research, and technology to solve problems that will help make kids better today and healthier tomorrow.”
The building is located on 10th Street, at the north end of the existing biotechnology complex. Other buildings in the complex include: the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, the U.A. Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Building, the Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, and the Molecular Science and Engineering Building.
More than 140 faculty and nearly 1,000 graduate students from 10 different academic units work in the labs and facilities there.
“EBB puts Georgia Tech at the forefront of biosciences and bioengineering research,” said M.G. Finn, professor and chair of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
EBB is the largest building investment in Georgia Tech history. The $113 million building was made possible because of a partnership between the Institute, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and the State of Georgia, Peterson said.
State appropriations provided $64 million for the project. Georgia Tech provided $15 million in Institute funds, and private funding raised another $34 million in commitments pledged over five years.
EBB will help drive Georgia’s economy, Peterson said. “It will foster economic development through the formation of startup enterprises, the creation of high-skilled, high-paying jobs, and the commercialization of new devices, drugs, and technologies”.
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