GT-How

Two students in the BME Design Shop demonstrating how to use a bench vise.

Making It Happen: How to Pick the Right Makerspace for your Project

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jchang440
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By Josie Chang and Ayona Ray

Welcome to the Makerspaces!

Diving into hands-on projects is a defining part of the Georgia Tech experience, yet many first-year, transfer, and existing students completely miss out on the campus’s best resources simply because they don’t know they exist! With eight distinct, free-to-use makerspaces, Tech offers a location for every project. With so many different and fragmented resources, locations, and rules, figuring out which makerspace works best for you can feel overwhelming and stressful.

By making these resources more accessible, this guide will help bridge the gap between a creative spark and actually executing your idea, empowering you to step out of your comfort zone and explore a new part of campus. With the right information in hand, you can skip the stress, unlock your full creative potential, and confidently start building.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Makerspaces!

What Makerspace is Right for my Project?

Makerspaces: At-a-Glance

Interactive Map

Offered Makerspaces

Additional Resources

What Makerspace is Right for my Project?

1. Figure Out Your Project Idea

Before anything else, decide what you want to build! Whether you are creating a prototype for a class, a personal piece, or engineering a new gadget, every great build starts with a clear concept.

2. Determine Your Tools & Materials

Based on your project, map out what you need to bring to life. Do you need 3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking tools, or soldering irons? Use “Makerspaces: At a Glance” to see what space matches your project ideas and where it can be found.

3. Research & Match Your Makerspace

Not all makerspaces are the same and each has its own specializations. Read through “Offered Makerspaces” on our site to find the space that houses the exact machinery and environment your project requires.

4. Compare Locations Using the Map

Once you know which spaces have your tools, use our “Interactive Map” to find the most convenient location. See how close you are to any of our makerspaces.

5. Check Rules, Hours, & Access

Every makerspace has its own operating hours and building access rules. Before heading out, check our makerspaces information to ensure the space is open and note any specific requirements for new users.

6. Arrive, Sign In, & Connect with a PI

When you arrive, follow the sign-in procedures outlined for that specific space. If it’s your first time, look for a Peer Instructor (PI). They are there to help you get registered, find your way around, and answer questions.

7. Get Building (Safely!)

Grab your materials and get started! If you want to use heavy machinery that requires specialized safety training, or if you hit a roadblock with your build, just ask a PI for guidance.

Makerspaces: At-a-Glance

Image Title: Georgia Tech - Campus Makerspaces: 8 Makerspaces, One Vision. Subtitle: Creativity at a Glance. Key Statistics (Top Row): 8 makerspaces on campus, 160+ Prototyping Instructors, 2009: Purchase of a $70 thousand water jet cutter, and +1,000 Students per Month. Makerspace Directory: Invention Studio is located in the MRDC and focuses on General fabrication, The Hive is located in the Van Leer Building and focuses on Electronics, AI Makerspace is located in CODA and focuses on AI Compute, College of Design Shop is located in Architecture East and focuses on Industrial Design, The Yang Aero Maker Space is located in Weber and focuses on Aerospace, The BME Design Shop is located in Whitaker and focuses on Biomedical Engineering, The MILL is located in Love and focuses on Material Science, and XR Makerspace is located in ISYE and focuses on XR/VR. The Tool Wall: Features five main tool categories represented by icons: 3D Print, Laser Cut, CNC Mill, Weld/Metal, and XR/VR. Makerspace Classifications: General Fab includes Invention Studio and The Hive, Compute and Tech includes AI Makerspace and XR Makerspace, Discipline Shops includes The MILL and BME Design Shop, and Aero and Comp. includes Yang Aero and Comp. Center. Size Comparison (Pie Chart): A pie chart highlighting the square footage of three major spaces: Invention Studio: 7000 ft2, The Hive: 1500 ft2, and BME Shop: 3000 ft2.
Overview of the makerspaces for example on specific machinery located (e.g. printers, laser cutters), the available PIs, amount of users, and general makerspace information.

Curious about our campus workshops? This quick-facts graphic breaks down the locations, specialized tools, and unique focus areas of Georgia Tech’s eight campus makerspaces. Take a look to find the perfect shop and equipment for your next big project!

Interactive Map

The image displays a custom Google Map titled GT Makerspaces, with a subtitle explaining that the map contains the locations of all physical makerspaces near the Georgia Tech Atlanta Campus. A left-hand sidebar under the Atlanta Campus layer lists eight specific makerspaces, which are Yang Aero Maker Space, The Hive, Flowers Invention Studio, AI Makerspace (marked with two asterisks), BME Design Shop, The MILL, College of Design Shop, and ADC XR. The main area of the image features a geographic map of the Georgia Tech campus and surrounding Midtown Atlanta streets, with yellow and red pin indicators marking where each makerspace is physically located across the campus grounds.
A simplified map of the Georgia Tech campus highlighting the exact buildings housing the 8 makerspaces (such as the The Hive in Van Leer). Each location is marked with a distinct pin.

Our interactive Google Map is a great way to navigate to the different makerspaces. Use this to determine locations and travel time. If you need further directions, room and floor numbers are visible when a pin is selected.
You can access the interactive map here.

Offered Makerspaces

The Hive

A top down view of the electronic workstations in The Hive.
Dive into a massive space featuring a machine shop, laser cutting, crafts, and advanced electronics. Stop by today to 3D print,  fabricate custom PCBs with professional LPKF gear, or design at one of our 20+ fully equipped circuit benchtop stations.

The Hive (also known as the Interdisciplinary Design Commons) is Georgia Tech’s electrical and computer engineering-focused makerspace. It is the premier spot on campus for students across all majors to prototype, test, and debug electronic circuits in a collaborative environment guided by student Prototyping Instructors (PIs).

The facility features over 20 benchtop stations fully equipped with soldering kits, oscilloscopes, function generators, power supplies, and multimeters. It also offers advanced PCB fabrication powered by a suite of LPKF equipment, alongside traditional makerspace tech like 3D printers, laser cutters, crafts equipment, and a machine shop.

Hours: Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

AI Makerspace

Two men standing in a data center next to an open server rack in the AI makerspace.
Behind the scenes at the AI Makerspace, where high-performance computing infrastructure and cutting-edge hardware power the next generation of AI projects!

Launched in collaboration with NVIDIA, the AI Makerspace serves as a digital sandbox and high-performance supercomputer hub. Unlike physical fabrication shops, this digital makerspace democratizes access to heavyweight cloud computing resources, allowing undergraduate and graduate students to train advanced machine learning models and experiment with AI-driven ideas at scale.

The cluster is powered by an advanced infrastructure featuring 20 NVIDIA HGX H100 systems (housing 160 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs) and 18 NVIDIA HGX H200 systems, interconnected via an NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking platform. It is paired with NVIDIA AI Enterprise and Omniverse software platforms for advanced 3D, AR, and VR development.

Hours: Available online 24/7 via a virtual gateway for eligible coursework and non-instructional student learning (See Additional Resources).

Flowers Invention Studio

One student operating a vertical milling machine inside the Flowers Invention Studio, with one student in safety glasses works at a nearby workbench in the foreground.
 Hands-on innovation is always in motion at the Flowers Invention Studio! From heavy machinery like vertical milling to precise workbench use, students from all majors come together here to safely prototype, test, and bring their designs to life.

The Flowers Invention Studio is a massive, completely student-run central makerspace open to the entire Georgia Tech community for coursework, research, and personal hobby projects. It is highly collaborative and entirely staffed by volunteer Prototyping Instructors who train users on how to safely operate complex machinery.

The space is split into major hubs including a main room featuring a massive fleet of 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics/robotics gear, and sewing stations. It also houses a fully loaded wood room, a metal room, welding equipment, and an industrial waterjet cutter.

Hours: Wednesday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and Tuesday/Thursday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Yang Aero Makerspace

Smiling students in the Yang Aero Maker Space, surrounded by workbenches, 3D printers, laser cutters, and various hands-on engineering projects.
This collaborative, student-run space is fully equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, and electronics benches, giving future aerospace engineers everything they need to turn complex ideas into physical reality.

The Aero Maker Space (AMS) is a specialized environment tailored to aerospace engineering students but welcoming to all majors. Supported by on-duty mentors, it gives students a dedicated space to design, build, and test atmospheric and space-focused hardware.

The shop is equipped for structural fabrication and aerospace modeling, featuring 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics benches, and a suite of lightweight machining tools optimized for wood, plastics, and composites.

Hours:
Fall and Spring semesters: Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Summer semester: Monday through Friday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

BME Design Shop

The BME Design shop, with several desks and workbenches with 3d printers on top of them. Several large tool boxes are also placed around the room.
This prototyping lab is tailored for medical device fabrication and senior design projects is equipped with 3D printers, electronics test stations, and dedicated assembly workbenches.

The BME Design Shop is a hands-on prototyping facility designed to help students turn biomedical concepts into real-world healthcare solutions. While open to the broader GT community, the space explicitly focuses its resources on supporting official, GT-related coursework, capstones, and collaborative research projects.

Prototyping equipment includes high-precision Bambu 3D printers (running PLA, TPU, etc.), industrial Stratasys F170 and F370 3D printers, resin 3D printers, a drill press, a belt sander, soldering stations, and a Universal Laser Systems laser cutter.

Hours: Open during the academic semesters with variable hours; operations run Monday through Friday (check their live calendar for exact weekly schedules).

The MILL

A student working at a table in the MILL with two other students in the background operating a testing machine.
The MILL features specialized equipment like benchtop universal mechanical testers and advanced load frames. This collaborative workspace provides the essential tools for analyzing material properties, processing experimental data, and advancing hands-on engineering research.

The Materials Innovation and Learning Laboratory (The MILL) is an open-access makerspace focused entirely on materials science and characterization. It allows students of all majors to explore how materials behave, look, and perform under various conditions, moving beyond standard fabrication to true material discovery.

The facility features sophisticated scientific instrumentation including scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), X-ray diffraction (XRD) systems, optical microscopes, mechanical testing systems (like tensile testers), thermal analysis tools, and sample preparation equipment.

Hours: Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

College of Design Shop

The College of Design Shop, featuring its table saws, band saws, and workbenches. An extensive dust collection system is present throughout the entire space.
A look inside the Georgia Tech College of Design shop, featuring precision woodworking machinery like table and vertical band saws. Outfitted with dust collection and ample workspace, this facility provides students with the heavy machinery needed to bring complex studio models and structural prototypes to life.

Located on the ground floor of Architecture East, the College of Design Shop provides industrial design and architecture students with the high-end machinery required for rapid, accurate physical prototyping. The environment supports everything from small product models to larger architectural mockups.

The facility provides comprehensive fabrication capabilities across multiple fields: woodworking (table saws, band saws, 5-axis routers), metalworking (plasma cutters, sheet metal forming, welding), plastic fabrication (vacuforming, casting, thermoforming), and rapid prototyping (multiple desktop and industrial 3D printers, laser cutters, and an industrial sewing machine).

Hours: Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

ADC XR

A student is seated in the XR makerspace utilizing the Meta Quest 3 to test a XR drum kit. Computer monitors behind him display information on what he is testing and the makerspace.
This facility provides access to advanced hardware including virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, haptic interfaces, and motion-tracking infrastructure, empowering students and researchers to merge physical and virtual systems.

The Allen-Davidson-Coleman (ADC) XR Makerspace is a cutting-edge playground within the ISyE community dedicated completely to virtual, augmented, and mixed reality applications. It provides the physical hardware, high-powered computing rigs, and expert spatial-computing guidance needed to design immersive software experiences.

The space hosts a world-class fleet of headsets including Meta Quest 2/3/Pro, Varjo XR-4, Apple Vision Pro, and Microsoft HoloLens 2 units. Immersive accessories include SenseGlove Nova 2 haptic gloves, a Virtuix Omni 360-degree VR Treadmill, a Revopoint MIRACO Plus sub-millimeter 3D scanner, and heavy-duty Alienware PC rigs packed with NVIDIA RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs.

Hours: Monday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

Additional Resources

Want further information on how to access the AI Makerspace? Explore PACE.

Like to go on a virtual tour of the makerspaces? Check out this collection.

Struggling to develop your idea? Visit the Office of Experiential and Engaged Learning’s resources.

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