Duracell officially opened its new Global Innovation Center for Research and Development at Science Square Labs in Atlanta. The company said the $56 million, 83,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 120 jobs and serve as the central hub for its global battery technology innovation network.
The center brings scientists, engineers and cross-functional teams together to support battery development from initial concepts through commercialization. Located at 101 Nerem Street NW next to Georgia Tech, it is intended to connect academic talent and corporate research while linking Duracell’s manufacturing plant in LaGrange and distribution center in Fairburn within a statewide operating network.
Duracell said the Atlanta location will help it recruit scientists and engineers from Georgia Tech and other nearby research institutions. Representatives from Georgia, the City of Atlanta and Georgia Tech attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility. The event focused on economic development, local recruitment and technological advancement in the state.
The R&D headquarters was developed by Trammell Crow Company in partnership with Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures, a Georgia Tech affiliate. Partners Real Estate represented Duracell in the transaction, while CBRE represented Trammell Crow Company.
Perkins&Will, AHA Consulting Engineers, Walter P Moore and Brasfield & Gorrie handled design and construction work for the tenant fit-out. According to Brasfield & Gorrie, the project included specialized dry-room systems and the relocation of hundreds of pieces of Duracell-owned equipment across floors.
Science Square is an 18-acre mixed-use innovation district next to Georgia Tech’s Midtown Atlanta campus. Its first-phase research building, Science Square Labs, provides about 364,000 rentable square feet of laboratory and office space. The wider district is planned to include about 1.8 million square feet of lab and office space, 500 residential units and 25,000 square feet of retail.
Source: Business Wire
