A small suburb Northeast of Atlanta was the site of a recent red-carpet event attracting celebrities from the broadcast, film, and music industries to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for Assembly Studios, the first completed portion of a major development by Gray TV intended to create “a hub for creativity and innovation.”

The eight five-story studio buildings feature interiors by national design firm Dyer Brown across 476,000 total square feet. The designs, conceived in close collaboration with NBC Universal and Atlanta-based firm Smith Dalia Architects, include production sets and sound stages, dressing rooms, hair and makeup spaces, and a holding area for studio audiences that doubles as a pre-function event space. Dyer Brown also designed an office suite with conferencing space for Gray TV on the fourth floor of one of the buildings.

The project team has also completed work on a 108,000-square-foot, two-story warehouse building with areas for fabrication, production and storage, as well as a two-story 35,000-square-foot administration building with financial administration and security offices, rehearsal rooms, and a large café amenity. The interior spaces all feature designs by Dyer Brown.

Cutting the ribbon on the new studios was Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, at an event that included performances by such luminaries as Gladys Knight, CeeLo Green, Sheryl Crow, and Dionne Warwick. The celebration took place inside one of the larger studios designed by Dyer Brown, who selected all the finishes and designed all the custom millwork – including opulent tile and wall coverings for three of the studios to feature a more elevated design – and specified all specialty plumbing, light fixtures, and mirrors.

Dyer Brown also mapped out the space planning in all eight buildings to ensure optimal usage and return on investment, working closely with the architect and with NBC|NBC Universal, who are leasing the studios from Gray TV.

The studios, warehouse, and administration building represent the first completed portion of the 135-acre mixed-use Assembly Atlanta development by Gray. Future plans include studio bungalows, additional event space, amenities, residences, a parking deck, and public greenspace.