Portfolio

Location

Scale

Completion

The building’s original main entrance looked out onto surface parking that was on the opposite from Brevard Street. With the installation of the LYNX light rail and adjacent Rail Trail, the building became a prime location within the city. The design team worked to create an entrance that played up the direct connection while also creating a more engaging front for those viewing the building from the light rail side. However, the fact was that the building had effectively turned its back to Brevard Street, Charlotte’s planned “festival street.” To help engage a larger audience and enhance the connection with the city, the design team added a two-story, all-glass lobby facing Brevard. This move helps reorient the building towards Brevard as well as its well-known neighbor, the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

To help create a better tenant experience, and to connect train commuters with the new lobby, the space between the two was designed to promote movement with activity along the ceiling plane and simple, textured walls. The walk-through lobby offers tenants a variety of co-working spaces, stretching from one entrance to the other. Three separate “eddy pools” – the “overlook,” “work lounge,” and “living room” – were carved into the extended lobby, creating a more subdued and relaxed the deeper you move into the building from the main entrance. These spaces help reinvent the shared lobby and provide opportunities for engagement while supporting different ways of working.

The building’s exterior tower element along Brevard Street was reskinned with glass enclosed elevator lobby that looks out onto Brevard Street. To create a more live-work-play atmosphere, the building will support new street-level retail spaces including opportunity for a unique two-story space. Outdoor seating patios were also added to encourage tenants to further explore and connect with the city.

Expertise

Environments