Nation’s first to attain highest level LEED certification

Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina – Sept. 29, 2010 – Designed by tvsdesign and located in downtown Charlotte, the Duke Energy Center has been certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum – the nation’s first and tallest office tower to receive the highest level of LEED certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Core & Shell rating system Version 2.0.   tvsdesign also led a design team to create the master plan for the mixed-use campus surrounding the building that features several cultural attractions, including:

• Knight Theater, a 1,200 seat performing arts facility
• Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, designed by Swiss architect, Mario Botta
• The Mint Museum of Craft and Design, designed by Boston architects, Machado and Silvetti Associates
• Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture, designed by The Freelon Group, designers of the new Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
• An urban piazza, designed by the Atlanta based firm, HGOR.

Duke Energy is the lead tenant in the tower and is headquartered there. Wells Fargo & Co. is the building owner and holds 15 floors for its own use. The tower and cultural campus were commissioned by Wachovia Corp., which is now part of Wells Fargo, and construction began in 2006. tvsdesign took our vision and developed a world class environment for Charlotte,” said Curt Radkin, Development Director for the Corporate Properties Group at Wells Fargo. “A fast-track schedule, concurrent fit -up designs and a complex building program made the road to the completed project a very dynamic process.  It required teamwork, collaboration and a great working relationship between all the parties involved.”

The office tower has 48 stories and 1.5 million square feet.  It includes the most stringent standards for environmental sustainability, including 85% water efficiency and 22% energy efficiency over that of a traditionally-built tower of comparable size. It also features a green roof planted with native plants to reduce heating and cooling loads and to mitigate storm water runoff, as well as an enjoyable outdoor space for tenants.  The building provides secure bicycle racks, as well as showers and changing rooms for tenants who bike to work. It also provides preferred parking for low-emission vehicles, and easy access to the Charlotte Area Transit System bus and light rail routes.

The components of the master plan were varied and complex, spanning three city blocks.  Underground tunnels and one million square feet of parking tie the building together below grade while the careful arrangement of cultural facilities and office tower around a central urban piazza create a unifying high energy environment at street level.  tvsdesign considered the impact of the tower and its silhouette on the skyline in relation to the smaller buildings on the campus and in context with the city as a whole.

“tvsdesign worked closely with the design team to create a unique master plan that combines the best of Charlotte’s downtown business center with a cultural arts district,”  said David Brown, associate principal at tvsdesign. “We were first charged with designing a new office tower for the bank incorporating the theater component, but as Wachovia’s growth continued, so did their vision.  What started out as a simple building design morphed into an iconic building and a cultural arts district for the city.”

About LEED Certification: The LEED certification is established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).  The Duke Energy Center is also the first and only LEED for Core & Shell commercial office in the world to require all tenants to pursue LEED for Commercial Interiors certification, as well as the first and only LEED Core & Shell Platinum project in North Carolina.  In addition, Siemens recently awarded the Duke Energy Center the title of America’s Smartest Building as part of a nationwide challenge.  tvsdesign’s sustainable design experience encompasses almost 20 LEED Certified and 15 LEED registered projects, including the recently certified LEED Commercial Interior  Platinum Herman Miller LA Showroom, in Los Angeles, California.

About tvsdesign

tvsdesign is a global design firm whose award-winning solutions reflect more than 40 years of experience in planning, architecture and interior design.  With offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dubai and Shanghai, the firm’s passion for design excellence, sustainability and collaboration produce client-driven results.   tvsdesign is consistently recognized for its work across multiple practice areas including convention and public assembly, cultural arts, retail, office, education, government, hospitality and mixed-use design. tvsdesign projects have garnered some of the industry’s most prestigious awards including the prestigious American Institute of Architects Firm Award in 2002, top 20 in Interior Design and numerous sustainable accolades for LEED certified projects.   For more information, please visit www.tvsdesign.com