Construction starts on planetarium-sized sports and entertainment venue downtown

Cosm, a venue that is slated to be an anchor of Atlanta’s Centennial Yards, will potentially be ready by the World Cup.

In the shadows of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena, a new steel structure is rising, one that is expected to be an anchor of downtown Atlanta’s Centennial Yards.

It will soon house a new sports and entertainment venue: Cosm, a 70,000-square-foot dome that uses the same technology as planetariums to create an immersive sports viewing experience.

On Thursday, city leaders and executives from Cosm, the Centennial Yards development and the Atlanta Hawks celebrated the start of the venue’s construction. But instead of a groundbreaking ceremony, since the $5 billion Centennial Yards live-work-play community is well underway, officials had a “steel rising” ceremony.