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Lowe's Global Technology Center

(Redirected from Design Center Tower)

The Lowe's Global Technology Center (also known as the Design Center Tower) is a 23-story office building in South End Charlotte, North Carolina. Completed in 2021, the tower stands at a height of 357 feet (108.81 Meters)[1] making it the tallest building in South End and outside of Uptown Charlotte, slightly taller than The Arlington at 310 feet (94 m). The building is primarily occupied by Lowe's, which occupies 357,000 square feet (33,166 m2) over 15 floors.[2] The building has an additional 20,000 square feet (1,858 m2) of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor.[3]

Lowe's Global Technology Center
The building viewed from East Blvd and Camden St in January 2024.
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice building
Architectural styleModern
Location100 W Worthington
Charlotte, North Carolina
Coordinates35°12′43″N 80°51′35″W / 35.21194°N 80.85972°W / 35.21194; -80.85972
Construction startedAugust 2019
CompletedFall 2021
OpeningFall 2021
OwnerApollo Global Management
Height
Roof357 ft (109 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count23
Design and construction
Architect(s)Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio
DeveloperRAM and Childress Klein
Other information
ParkingOn site parking garage
Public transit accessLight rail interchange East/West Blvd

History

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Lowes will be investing $153 million into the building as a tech hub for 2,000 employees. 400 jobs will be transferred from the company's headquarters in Mooresville, the remaining 1,600 employees will be new hires. The state has offered Lowes $54.1 million of incentives for the development of 1,600 new jobs. The state also be awarding Lowe's a $2 million grant from its North Carolina One Fund.[4] Lowe's also considered Dallas for the expansion. Ultimately Charlotte was chosen owing to its proximity to the company's headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina and the appeal of South End to the millennial population. The generation enjoys living in denser urban areas with access to the light rail, scooters, and an area that is easily walkable.[3]

Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison views expanding IT as a way to become a better retailer. He believes one of the characteristics of a greater retailer is having a great technology platform. He went on to explain that this project modernizes Lowe's technology systems and drives company growth.[3]

Lowe's has already been hiring for the 1,600 new positions. Prior to the pandemic, these positions were being housing at 200,000 square feet (18,581 m2) of leased space in Charlotte Plaza in Uptown Charlotte,[4] IT employees began moving into this space in June 2019.[3] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Charlotte Business Journal reported that Lowe's has listed 125,000 square of this space for sublease. The remaining 75,000 square feet (6,968 m2) of space will be available for remote employees. Lowe's Charlotte Plaza leases are effective until July 2024.[5] Lowe's recently stated their target move-in is the summer of 2022.[6] The hiring numbers for the 1,600 new positions[3] stands at 1,200 employees.

In November 2021 the building was sold to New York-based Apollo Global Management for $318 million. This sale set a record for the highest price per square foot at $889/sq ft ($9,570/m2). The prior record was set in 2020 for $612 per square foot ($6,590/m2) for the sale of the RailYard in South End. The sale price was $201 million.[7]

Lowe's officially began to occupy the building in August 2022 with 1,000 employees initially working in the building. The hiring process for the 2,000 employees is ongoing as of August 2022. Lowe's has not set a date for when all 2,000 employees will occupy the building.[8]

The design of the office space was intended to encourage collaboration. Some of the specific elements that encourage collaboration are pods featuring sit/stand desks, tables for team huddles, and plenty of whiteboards. The large number of windows on each floor flood the space with natural light and provide inspiring skyline views of Uptown. The building has an innovation lab that provides in-house team focus on emerging technologies that allow for demos of new ways to transform how people work, live, and shop at Lowe's. The two-level auditorium with 168 can be used to host town and tech talks. Other employee amenities include social spaces, cafes, four quiet rooms, and two massage chairs.[9]

Many different tenants occupy the 20,000 square feet (1,858 m2) of ground floor retail.[3] The most notable ground floor retail tenant is Salted Melon Market & Eatery, a health-focused market and fast-casual restaurant created by Reid's Fine Foods. The market will occupy 7,000 square feet (650 m2) of space. It will contain grab and go readymade food, a full-service espresso bar, and a broth bar.[10] The other ground floor retail tenants are Brown Bag Seafood Co., a fast-casual seafood chain[11] and Allbirds, a sustainability focused shoe company, occupying 2,964 square feet (275 m2).[12]

In September 2022 retailer Outdoor Voices began leasing 1,429 square feet (133 m2) of ground floor retail. Outdoor Voices is an athletic apparel store selling items such as sweatpants, leggings, and men's activewear. It is a competitor to other chains with locations in South End such as Lululemon, Anthropologie, Warby Parker, Cava, Barry's and Free People.[13][14]

In December 2022 Brown Bag Seafood Company opened a 2,542 square feet (236 m2) ground floor retail location in the building. The restaurant is a fast and casual seafood chain based in Chicago, in August 2022 the company opened its first location in the Charlotte region with a restaurant in Birkdale Village in Huntersville. The restaurant allows customers to choose their seafood and how they want the meal presented with choices like tacos, salads, sandwiches, and a grain or vegetable bowl.[15][11][16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Design Center Tower". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  2. ^ Crane, Brianna (27 June 2019). "View Renderings: Lowe's choose South End for new tech hub, moving into stunning 23-story tower". Charlotte Axios. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Peralta, Katherine (27 June 2019). "Lowe's picks South End for tech hub, 2,000 high-paying jobs and a new 23-story tower". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b Elkins, Ken; Fahey, Ashley (27 June 2019). "RENDERINGS: Lowe's selects Charlotte for massive tech hub, will kick off new South End tower". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  5. ^ Fahey, Ashley (20 November 2020). "Lowe's puts much of its uptown office space on the market for sublease". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  6. ^ Thomas, Jennifer (19 May 2022). "Lowe's targets summer opening for global tech hub in Charlotte's South End". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ^ O'Connell, Liz (24 November 2021). "Lowe's tower in South End sells for record price per square foot". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  8. ^ Thomas, Jennifer (17 August 2022). "Mooresville-based Lowe's opens Charlotte tech hub in South End". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. ^ Thomas, Jennifer (21 October 2022). "How Lowe's Tech Hub will boost home-improvement retailer's omnichannel efforts". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. ^ Thomas, Jennifer (3 June 2022). "Reid's Fine Foods owners talk new South End venture, Salted Melon Market & Eatery". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  11. ^ a b Thomas, Jennifer (1 December 2021). "Brown Bag Seafood Co. snags spaces in South End, uptown". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  12. ^ Braun, Jennifer (3 February 2022). "Allbirds opens first store in Charlotte". Fashion Network. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  13. ^ Crane, Brianna; Peralta Soloff, Katie (6 October 2022). "Outdoor Voices is now open in South End Outdoor Voices is now open in South End". Axios Charlotte. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  14. ^ Muccigrosso, Catherine (7 October 2022). "Sportswear company makes NC debut blocks away from competitor Lululemon in South End". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Locations". Brown Bag Seafood Company. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Brown Bag Seafood Co. opens at Birkdale Village on Monday". Cornelius Today. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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