Duke Energy Center

Duke Energy Center
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office
Location	550 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC
Coordinates	35°13′26.48″N 80°50′53.28″W / 35.2240222°N 80.8481333°W / 35.2240222; -80.8481333Coordinates: 35°13′26.48″N 80°50′53.28″W / 35.2240222°N 80.8481333°W / 35.2240222; -80.8481333
Construction started	February 28, 2006
Opening	January 2010
Cost	$880 million
Height
Roof	786 ft (240 m)
Technical details
Floor count	48 floors (54 in total with mechanical floors)
Floor area	1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2)
Design and construction
Owner	Wells Fargo
Main contractor	Batson-Cook Company subcontractors: Boda Plumbing, Inc.; Juba Aluminum Products Co., Inc.
Architect	tvsdesign
Structural engineer	TRC Worldwide Engineering, Inc.
References
[1][2]

The Duke Energy Center is a 786 feet (240 m) tall, 48-floor (54 floors including mechanical floors) skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. When completed in 2010, it was the largest building in Charlotte (in square footage), second tallest building in Charlotte, and the tallest in the world to use precast double tees built by Prestress of the Carolinas.^[3][4] The building and adjacent cultural arts campus are owned by Wells Fargo.

Sonnenschein will use 35,000 square feet (3,300 m²) on the 34th and 35th floors and Deloitte will use 82,000 square feet (7,600 m²).^[5][6][7]

Originally, the building was to be known as the Wachovia Corporate Center. It was to replace One Wachovia Center as the headquarters of Wachovia. Wachovia was to occupy 450,000 square feet (42,000 m²)^[8] of the 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m²) tower. Wells Fargo plans to use five of its 14 floors.^[2]

Construction

The Duke Energy Center under construction in summer 2009.

Photo taken from Bank of America Stadium (Nov 2008).

The project was announced in spring of 2004, and official renderings were not released until December 6, 2006. In the original petition to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission the building was going to be built on a 1.29-acre (5,200 m²) parcel next to 400 South Tryon, with a height of 510 feet (160 m) and 34 floors. The site preparation began with the demolition of a Firestone Tire dealership in February 2006, and on February 28, 2006, the excavation and blasting of a 100-foot (30 m)-deep hole for the below-grade parking garage began. Over 600,000 pounds of explosives were used during its excavation and it took just over 60,000 dump truck loads to remove all of the excavated material from the site, some of which was used in the construction of a third runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.^[9]

The building was constructed by Batson-Cook Construction, with ready mix products from Concrete Supply Co. and structural engineering firm TRC International Ltd, of Sarasota, Florida. The building is using poured-in-place concrete core and perimeter and precast double tees, a structure usually used in parking decks. These double trees span between the poured-in-place core and perimeter systems. The concrete used for the building is 18,000 pounds per square inch.^[10]

The building received a certificate of occupancy December 23, 2009, with the lobby and parking garage opening January 2, 2010.^[2]

Features

It is the tallest building in the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus and the largest building in Charlotte, which will have an 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m²) footprint. The complex will also include a 46-floor condominium tower (future), the Afro-American Cultural Center, the Mint Museum, the Knight Theatre, the Bechtler Art Museum and a History Museum.^[11] The building has achieved LEED Platinum status by including water-saving plumbing devices, a water storage system that will treat rainwater to be used for cooling tower make-up water, and a green roof. Rock that was blasted for the parking structure is being recycled by hauling it to a local quarry, where it will be crushed for gravel.

The facade of the structure is illuminated by hundreds of programmable color changing LED and metal halide luminaires with design work by Gabler-Youngston Architectural Lighting Design. The facade lighting system provides various shows and effects. Highly visible over the east corner of Bank of America Stadium, the lighting show is used during key moments of sporting events played there. For example, if the Carolina Panthers are playing it may light up blue.

Retail Tenants

In 2011, the Duke Energy Center will welcome several new retail tenants to the building including world-renowned Chef Emeril Lagasse, who will open a new restaurant on the ground floor. The building will also welcome Flex + Fit, a new-concept health club featuring an on-site instructional cooking kitchen and an a la carte approach to cutting-edge fitness classes.

Original plans for Wachovia use

The first floor of the building will contain the main lobby and elevators. The second floor was to have Wachovia's server room. The third floor would have been occupied by training areas during the day and classrooms at night. This area was to have been shared by Wachovia and Wake Forest University, which it was to use it for its MBA courses. Floors four through seven were to contain the trading floor. It would have taken up 45,000 square feet (4,200 m²) and housed approximately 750 traders per floor.^[10] Wells Fargo plans to occupy five of its 14 floors late in 2010. KPMG and Katten Muchin Rosenman moved into the building in February 2010, while Duke Energy moved later in 2010.^[2]

Original plans for Wake Forest University

Originally, Wake Forest University had planned to locate the Charlotte campus of its Babcock Graduate School of Management in the tower, occupying approximately 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²). However, Wake Forest pulled out of the project after the purchase of Wachovia by Wells Fargo.^[12]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Charlotte
• Wells Fargo Cultural Campus

References

1. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". skyscraperpage.com. http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=37019. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Rothacker, Rick (2010-01-02). "Roof with a view". The Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/1155857.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
3. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". theconcreteproducer.com. http://www.theconcreteproducer.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1419&articleID=657664. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
4. ^ "Duke Energy's move symbolizes shift in Charlotte". Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/564215.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". Charlotte Business Journal. 2008-02-06. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/02/04/daily30.html. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
6. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". Charlotte Business Journal. 2007-08-31. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/08/27/daily53.html. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
7. ^ "Deloitte inks lease for Wachovia Corporate Center". Charlotte Business Journal. 2008-06-17. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/06/16/daily18.html. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
8. ^ "Wachovia tower to become Duke Energy Center | WCNC.com | Local News for Charlotte, North Carolina | Top Stories". WCNC.com. 2009-02-26. http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-022609-al-duke_energy.632d6f5.html. Retrieved 2009-03-05. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". emporis.com. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=206775. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
10. ^ ^{a b} "Wachovia Corporate Center". Batson-Cook Construction. http://www.construction-today.com/content/view/758/31. Retrieved 2008-05-27. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ "Wachovia Corporate Center". putzmeister.com. http://www.putzmeister.com/products/putzpress.cfm?sr_id=208&id=0&pc=3. Retrieved 2008-05-27. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Wake Forest nixes plans for uptown tower". Charlotte Business Journal. 2009-05-22. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/05/25/daily5.html. Retrieved 2009-005-22.