This marks the 11th year that Business North Carolina has saluted the most important new buildings that have opened across the state in the past year. The list contains massive investment from developers, businesses, healthcare organizations and others, and stretches from North Carolina’s coast to its mountains.
This year’s report cites 10 category winners and four honorable mentions. The BNC editorial team selected the buildings in mid-August with input from representatives of the state’s construction and architecture industries.
Much has changed for two Asheville hotels cited in the list – The Radical, a Hospitality category winner that opened in October 2023, and the Flat Iron Hotel, an honorable mention selection that opened in May. Both remained closed in mid-October due to the effects of flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, which devastated western North Carolina on Sept. 27.
While officials say neither hotel is believed to have suffered structural damage, both properties remained without running water weeks after the storm, just like much of Asheville. City officials aren’t sure how long it will take to restore service. Until then, both properties and much of Asheville are left waiting for the chance to again host guests to their globally famous community.
BANDWIDTH
Raleigh
Developer: Bandwidth
Contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie (Birmingham, Alabama)
Architect: Gensler (San Francisco)
Cost: $103 million
Size: 550,000 square feet
A five-story building on a 22-acre campus brought Bandwidth’s 750 workers, or Bandmates, under one roof. The building, which opened in August 2023, includes a Montessori-based child care center. Positioned amidst natural landscapes, the campus offers hiking and cycling opportunities. A fitness center, yoga studio and sports facilities promote employee well-being. David Morken cofounded Bandwidth in Raleigh almost 25 years ago.
The communications software company enables services such as 911, text messages and voice calls, with customers including Google, Microsoft and Zoom.
Bandwidth unveiled its plans in 2020, along with a pledge to create 1,165 jobs, for which the state offered Bandwidth about $32 million in incentives. In January, Bandwidth terminated the incentives package before receiving any money, saying it would not reach its hiring goals.
Shortly after the incentives announcement, Bandwidth acquired Belgian cloud communications provider Voxbone for about $520 million, expanding its reach into European and Asian markets. Growth at the combined companies has slowed and Bandwidth has reported a cumulative net loss of more than $65 million over the past
four years.
400H
Raleigh
Developers: Trammell Crow (Dallas) and co-development partners AECOM-Canyon Partners (Los Angeles) and HM Partners (Raleigh)
Contractor: Barnhill Contracting (Rocky Mount)
Architect: Gensler (San Francisco)
Cost: $186 million
Size: 365,000 square feet with 242 apartments, 166,000 square feet of office space and ground-floor retail
Located three blocks west of the state Capitol on Harrington Street, the 20-story, 400H tower offers unobstructed views of downtown Raleigh. Apartments occupy floors 10 through 20 and feature full-height glass windows. Rents range from about $1,800 for a 618-square-foot space to almost $3,800 for 1,391 square feet. The ninth-floor sky-hub features an indoor-outdoor amenity center with a pool, fitness center, lounge and meeting space. A 20th floor penthouse offers a lounge accessible to residents.
Five floors of office space and ground-floor retail space are below the apartments and parking floors. Press Coffee, Cocktails & Crepe, which also has restaurants in Graham and Durham, opened in June. The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar also has plans to open at 400H.
The building features a 24-foot, wood-framed green wall in the residential lobby and a 90-foot mural of a North Carolina saltwater marsh that greets office workers. Photos and murals in the building’s amenity spaces showcase North Carolina waterways, mountains and beaches. Between 1974 and 2013, Trammel Crow was involved in 67 projects in North Carolina, including some Charlotte office towers. The developer re-entered the state in 2021 with 400H as its signature project so far. As of mid-October, about 89% of the apartments had been leased and 10% of the office and retail space, according to
Trammell Crow.
NORTH CAROLINA SURGICAL HOSPITAL
Chapel Hill
Developer: UNC Health
Contractor: Skanska (Stockholm, Sweden, New York City)
Architect: Page (Washington, D.C.)
Cost: $425 million
Size: 377,000 square feet
The North Carolina Surgical Hospital is the largest addition to the UNC Hospital campus since North Carolina Memorial Hospital opened its doors in 1952. The building opened in April, although the first surgery occurred Aug. 26. The expansion adds 80 beds, 26 operating rooms and a 15-bed observation unit to the hospital. Eventually, 500 people will work at the seven-story, surgery hospital, including 100 new positions. UNC Health expects between 17,000 and 18,000 surgeries per year in the tower.
The new hospital will treat patients in need of advanced surgical care. Larger operating rooms offer ample space for specialized procedures, such as organ transplants. Four operating rooms are designated “hybrid spaces,” which integrate imaging technology into surgical procedures to enhance efficiency.
Construction took five years to complete. Design features are meant to offer patients and families a sense of peace and respite during some of their most unsettling days. The hospital connects to the existing five-building UNC Medical Center campus. It is part of UNC Health, which is owned by the state of North Carolina. Both Skanska and Page have offices in North Carolina.
Winston-Salem
Developer: Forsyth County
Contractors: Balfour Beatty/Samet (Joint Venture)
(Balfour Beatty HQ, London) (Samet HQ, Greensboro)
Architect: CJMW Architecture (Winston-Salem)
Cost: $96 million
Size: 240,000 square feet
Forsyth County’s fifth courthouse is more than triple the size of the former, 48-year-old courthouse it has replaced. The new version has six floors and 17 courtrooms, and was designed to allow for more courtrooms in the future. The former Hall of Justice, which opened in 1975, had 14 courtrooms. The new courthouse can accommodate a staff of more than 2,000.
Features include:
• A single location on the first floor for most Clerk of Court services
• Rooms for defendants to consult with their attorneys
• Space for the Public Defender’s offices, which had been housed in a separate building
• A secure tunnel for transferring inmates between the courthouse and detention center
• Separate transportation corridors for in-custody defendants, the general public and courthouse personnel.
• A secure bridge to the Government Center, giving staff access to the courthouse.
Construction on the courthouse started in 2021 and the court sessions were first held in the building on Oct. 23, 2023. Forsyth County put up for sale more than 600 items from the former courthouse, including pay phones, vacuum cleaners, metal detectors and water fountains. The old courthouse is up for sale. The county’s third courthouse, built in 1926, was converted to downtown condos.
Developer: Forsyth County
Contractor: Blum Construction (Winston-Salem)
Architects: Gensler (San Francisco) Stitch Design Shop (Winston-Salem)
Cost: $47.5 million
Size: 70,000 square feet
The word Kaleideum was formed by the merger of the words “kaleidoscope” and “museum.” The construction of the building was also inspired by the geometric forms and triangulated shapes captured in a kaleidoscope, as designers were looking to create a fusion of art and innovative design in the new museum.
Exhibits fill four stories of the building. A two-level “Rooftop Adventure” area features a playground, woven climber and revenue-generating covered event space that offers one-of-a-kind views of the Winston-Salem skyline. The basement has offices and storage space.
Kaleideum leaders expect the museum to attract 300,000 visitors in its first year, creating a $10 million economic impact. That compares to $6.8 million previously.
Forsyth County leases the building for a dollar a year to Kaleideum, which was created by the merger of The Children’s Museum of Winston Salem and Sci-Works. Funding for the museum began in 2017, with construction starting in July 2021. The museum opened in February at the site of the former Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, which was torn down four years ago.
Forsyth County invested $30.5 million, while a successful $15 million capital campaign contributed to the project. The museum received gifts of $2.25 million from the L. David Mounts Foundation, $2 million from Novant Health and $1 million from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
CHARLOTTE PIPE AND FOUNDRY
Oakboro
Developer: Charlotte Pipe and Foundry
Contractor: Barringer Construction (Charlotte)
Architect: WGM Design (Charlotte)
Cost: $460 million
Size: 530,182-square-feet foundry (605,042 square feet total)
After forging cast iron into pipes for more than a century near the Queen City’s center city, Charlotte Pipe moved 35 miles east to 700 acres in Oakboro in Stanly County. The foundry became fully operational in September 2023, after as many as 500 construction workers a day logged more than 1.2 million hours of work. Construction supplies and materials were 100% made in the U.S., officials said.
The 123-year-old company has been owned by the Dowd family since its inception.
At the plant, Charlotte Pipe invested $58 million in its environmental systems and controls. The biggest change was transitioning to electricity to forge the iron. The former foundry used a coal product. The change reduces annual carbon emissions by 40,000 tons, which the EPA says is equivalent to a year’s worth of carbon emissions from 32,638 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.
A 70,000-megawatt substation for the plant, fueled by natural gas distributed by Union Power Cooperative, produces enough electricity to power 70,000 single-family homes.
Charlotte Pipe has about 2,500 employees at 10 plants in eight states, including 563 who work in Oakboro.
In September, Charlotte Pipe chose Dallas-based Trammell Crow to develop its 5.5-acre Iron District, the location of its former foundry. Located near Bank of America Stadium, Trammell Crow’s initial plan calls for a hotel, housing and office space.
Charlotte Pipe is also building a new headquarters and training center in the city’s Eastover neighborhood.
RADICAL HOTEL
Asheville
Developer: Hatteras Sky (Atlanta)
Contractor: Beverly-Grant (Asheville)
Architect: Rowhouse Architects (Asheville)
Cost: $44.6 million
Size: 63,030 square feet
Built in the 1920s, the five-story building had been everything from a breakfast cereal factory to a distribution hub for wholesale grocers to abandoned before opening in October 2023 as the Radical Hotel, a 70-room boutique hospitality space in Asheville’s River Arts District. The “Rad” was designed to fit the vibe of the River Arts District, home to numerous art studios, bars, restaurants, music venues and breweries. That district was hit hard by the Sept. 27 storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene.
As of mid-October, The Radical remained closed with no timetable for re-opening. The Radical had some flooding, but no structural damage, and no damage to its second-floor lobby or guest rooms. The Radical hosted emergency responders immediately after the storm hit.
The Radical has been described as a “love letter to the city’s creative spirit.”
The updated building boasts towering concrete pillars, exposed brick walls and original street art. Those graffitied walls are now complemented with a curated collection of 200 works of contemporary art. Guest rooms are adorned with murals and custom-made furniture. Interior work was done by New York-based Suomi Design Works and Portland, Maine-based Might & Main, and “inspired by 1970s fashionistas and 1980s Berlin, with a dash of punk, a sprinkle of disco and a penchant for antiquing.” The property’s tax value increased from $2.7 million in 2021 to almost $11.7 million in 2024, according to Buncombe County tax records.
James Beard award finalist Jacob Sessoms oversees the food and beverage concepts in the new hotel.
Charlotte
Developer: Wells Fargo (San Francisco)
Contractor: Rodgers Construction (Charlotte) and Barringer Construction (Charlotte)
Architects: Gensler (San Francisco) and Perkins & Will (Chicago)
Cost: Part of five-year $500 million investment
Size: 2.1 million square foot campus
The Customer Information Center campus is the home office to more than 10,000 employees of the third-largest U.S. bank. Work kicked off last year to modernize the workplace, which predecessor bank First Union opened in 1995. It includes more workspaces, new contact center space, a revamped food hall, and a new 2,500-space parking deck. Three full-floor renovations and the first phase of the food hall enhancements are done, with five additional full-floor renovations, and the new parking deck set to deliver in December.
Morrisville
Developer: Classic Group (Morrisville)
Contractor: Classic Construction (Morrisville)
Architects: Ora Architecture (Raleigh)
Cost: About $10 million
Size: 31,500 square feet
Opened in June 2023 by Kishor Karneria, the three-story RDU Galleria is a combination gas station, convenience store and office building. It attracts travelers using Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which is about two miles north. Office space is for lease on the top two floor.
ONE SPENCE CENTER
Goldsboro
Developer: Jacob Smith
Contractor: Eagles Properties (Goldsboro)
Architects: N/A
Cost: Sold for $950,000 in April 2023
Size: 20,500 square feet
Built in 1980, the four-story One Spence Center of Goldsboro is a former bank building that was converted into office space. This type of development is unusual for a small town like Goldsboro. Currently, there are nine spaces available for lease at the Spence Center.
Elizabeth on 7th
Charlotte
Developer: Crescent Communities (Charlotte)
Contractor: Choate Construction (Charlotte)
Architect: BB+M Architecture (Charlotte)
Cost: $21 million
Size: 125,000 square feet
On the corner of East 7th Street and North Caswell Road, Elizabeth on 7th is a modern commercial office space situated in a historic area of Charlotte. This four-story space offers 103,500 square feet of Class A office space along with 22,000 square feet of retail. Elizabeth on 7th is currently home to businesses like Catalina Kitchen & Bar, The Yard Milkshake Bar and Barre3.
FLAT IRON HOTEL
Asheville
Developer: Flat Iron Preservation Group
Contractor: Whiting-Turner Contracting (Baltimore), Beverly-Grant Construction (Asheville)
Architects: Rowhouse Architects (Asheville)
Cost: $36 million
Size: 52,000 square feet
Constructed in 1926, Asheville’s historic Flat Iron building reopened as a boutique hotel in May. The nine-story hotel offers 71 guest rooms and six suites, with rates starting at $200 per night. The Flat Iron Hotel offers guests high-end Italian dining at Luminosa and panoramic views of Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains at its rooftop bar.
The Flat Iron has been closed since the Sept. 27 storm surge from Hurricane Helene. Like a lot of downtown Asheville, the building did not have running water as of mid-October and does not have a timetable of when that would change. The building did not receive structural damage from the storm.
100 EAST OFFICE TOWER
Charlotte
Developers: Stiles (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and Shorenstein Properties (San Francisco)
Contractor: Shelco (Charlotte)
Architect: Hastings Architecture (Nashville, Tennessee)
Cost: $186 million
Size: 370,000 square feet
The 23-story Class A office space opened in May and in June won a prestigious Digie Award for “Most Intelligent Office Building” at the annual Realcomm | IBcon Conference held in Tampa, Florida. The award focuses on sustainability and connectivity factors.
Amenities include an 11th-floor sky lobby with sweeping views of Charlotte’s Uptown skyline, a 4,000-square-foot fitness center and flexible conference space. Office space on 12 floors features 29,000 square-foot floor plates, 13-feet-4-inch floor-to-floor ceiling heights with 11-foot clear vision glass to maximize light, volume and transparency.
The building is on a platform for a direct stop by the Lynx Light Rail and adjacent to the Charlotte Rail Trail. As of mid-October, the building was vacant. ■