About The Hive
The Interdisciplinary Design Commons at Georgia Tech.
Our Mission
The Hive Makerspace exists to empower the Georgia Tech community to create, iterate, and collaborate. We believe great engineering isn’t confined to classrooms — it happens when curious people have access to the right tools, space, and community.
We are part of the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and serve the entire Institute.
Who We Are
The Interdisciplinary Design Commons — better known as The Hive Makerspace — is a 15,600-square-foot, 3-floor shared fabrication and prototyping lab open to all Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff, regardless of major, year, or prior experience. It is the largest student-run makerspace at Georgia Tech.
We operate out of 777 Atlantic Drive NW, inside the Van Leer Building rotunda at the heart of Georgia Tech’s campus. Enter from the Van Leer 2nd floor entrance on the north side of Tech Green.
Our Values
- Accessibility — no gatekeeping. If you’re GT, you’re welcome.
- Learning — we run workshops, demos, and training sessions year-round.
- Community — build friendships and collaborations that extend beyond the space.
- Safety — every maker learns to use equipment responsibly.
What We Offer
Digital Fabrication
3D printers (FDM and resin via Bambu Lab P1S and Formlabs Form 3/3L), CO₂ and fiber laser cutters, and three Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutters give you the power to turn digital designs into physical reality.
Electronics Workspace
24 individual benchtops each with soldering stations, oscilloscopes, function generators, digital multimeters, and power supplies. We also have advanced instruments from Keithley, Keysight, and Tektronix for specialized RF and measurement work.
PCB Fabrication
In-house PCB fabrication using LPKF ProtoMat S103 (milling) and ProtoLaser U4 (laser etching), plus a reflow oven for SMT assembly. Copper-clad FR4 is provided free of charge.
Embedded Systems
Checkout library of Arduino microcontrollers, Raspberry Pis, TI LaunchPads, and other development boards for two-week loan periods.
Crafts & Textiles
Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutters, dye sublimation (Sawgrass SG 500 + heat press), sewing machines, and a button press for a wide range of making and custom apparel projects.
Machine Shop
First-floor machine shop with miter saw, drill presses, band saw, scroll saw, belt sanders, and a sandblasting booth. A PI must be present whenever the machine shop is in use.
Spray Paint Booth
A ventilated spray paint booth on the first floor for finishing your projects. Common spray paint colors and wood stains are provided.
Workshops & Events
Regularly scheduled workshops on topics ranging from beginner soldering to laser cutting, PCB design, vinyl cutting, and more. Check the calendar for upcoming sessions.
History
The IDC opened on September 27, 2018 after a renovation of the Van Leer rotunda, creating a 15,600-square-foot, 3-floor makerspace — the largest student-run makerspace at Georgia Tech. The space was built to give students a hands-on engineering environment outside of traditional classrooms.
Originally, “The Hive” referred to the community of student volunteers who staffed the IDC. Over time, the makerspace itself became known as The Hive, and today the two are synonymous.
The Hive is operated by student Peer Instructors (PIs), Master Peer Instructors (MPIs), and an Executive Board, all of whom are undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students from across all disciplines. Today, the Hive serves thousands of users per semester — CS students building robots, ECE students fabricating PCBs, biology researchers printing lab fixtures, architects prototyping models, and artists creating interactive installations.
Location
The Hive Makerspace
Van Leer Building, Room C144
777 Atlantic Drive NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0250
Contact
Have questions or want to collaborate? Reach us at hive@ece.gatech.edu or contact us online.