Georgia Tech Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center
Structural reuse for carbon savings
Project Facts
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Owner | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Size | 100,000 SF |
| Cost | $90 million |
| Status | Completed 2026 |
Overview
Walter P Moore provided structural engineering services for the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center, a cutting-edge venue that caters to Georgia Tech’s 17 varsity sports programs. Located at the northeast corner of Bobby Dodd Stadium, the four-story Fanning Center was built with the help of 25 tons of repurposed steel from the stadium’s demolished upper deck, which significantly reduced the project’s carbon footprint. Its cross-laminated timber and glulam cantilevered roofs create welcoming spaces externally while the interior houses facilities for conditioning, sports medicine, recovery, nutrition, coaching, and a sports science lab.
Services
Challenges
Carbon Reduction
The design called for carbon reduction strategies to offset demolition, which required coordination between structural systems, material use, and program spaces.
Material Reuse
The engineers had to find ways to reuse materials from the demolition of both the Bobby Dodd Stadium’s upper deck, and the Edge/Rice Center, that once occupied the project’s site.
Coordination
Timing was critical to the steel salvaging process because of how it affected subcontractor pricing and construction sequencing. Hence, it was necessary to coordinate across teams to prevent any delays to the project.
Solutions
Structural Innovation
We applied cement replacement measures to concrete mixes and coordinated the facility’s spatial requirements were carefully coordinated and used two cantilevered CLT and glulam roofs to meet complex structural demands.
Streamlined Loops
The salvaging process was streamlined into an efficient loop by selectively identifying and removing steel members from the stadium’s upper deck, transporting them nine miles to a local fabricator for new connection materials, and returning them to the site for installation.
Early Sequencing
The design team worked closely with DPR Construction and Green Circle Demolition from the earliest project phases to plan salvage operations and ensure the steel could be repurposed without added cost or schedule risk.
Results
Carbon Savings
The reuse of salvaged Bobby Dodd Stadium steel helped cut project-related embodied carbon by more than 25,000 kg. Additionally, cement replacement and environmental product declarations also contributed to a savings of over 200,000 kg of carbon dioxide.
A World Class Facility
The Fanning Center now serves all 17 Georgia Tech sports programs accommodating a sports science lab equipped with cutting-edge equipment to optimize athlete performance, and recovery and sports medicine spaces developed in partnership with Emory Healthcare.
Exemplifying Circularity
Even though the reclaimed steel made up only a small fraction of the building, its exposed presence highlights the project’s commitment to circularity while preserving a piece of Georgia Tech’s history.
Project Team Leaders
