Project Data:

Completion Date:     7/1/2022

Square Footage:      357500

Building Use:           Workplace

Project Description:

As Lowe’s Home Improvement, a leading Fortune 50 organization, celebrated its 100th anniversary during an unprecedented pandemic, the goal of creating a transformational Global Technology Hub in Charlotte, NC was never unrealized. Through bold real estate decisions, creative partnerships, and an innovate-or-die mindset, a project that could have been paralyzed by global shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and a workplace revolution, saw challenges as opportunities and pressed forward.

The Lowe’s Global Tech Hub, a 357,500sf innovative office space for 2,000+ associates, became a catalytic home “where hardware meets software,” a highly collaborative, agile workspace that consistently reminds associates how their work propels the customer and associate experience forward. Measurable design drivers focused on:

- Creating an environment that promotes innovation
- Attracting & retaining top technology industry talent
- Shaping a belief that advancements in technology evolve the brand by elevating associate & customer experience
- Igniting the community by sharing Lowe’s passion & culture

The vision was to create a magnetic, unrestrained destination that uniquely elevates Lowe’s culture of humility, authenticity, diversity, and curiosity; In a way that enables boundaries to be broken for the benefit of their customer & associate experiences, Removes the mystery from technology and home improvement by exposing the process, and constructs a memorable journey from the front door and beyond; So that Lowe’s becomes the employer of choice in the technology market and a vital neighborhood partner within Charlotte’s South End community.”

From the moment associates and visitors open the front door of the Tech Hub, they are immersed in an environment that could have only been built for Lowe’s Technology. The brand experience floods the space from the overhead sculpture, paying tribute to flying steel on a job site, to the curiosity troughs where home improvement items such as bolts, screws, and pliers are cast in place. Finally, a “stacked lumber” desk welcomes guests next to the large-scale AV portal and elevator lobby wall featuring evolving branded digital videos.

The space begins with amenities on Floor 10 with the Lowe’s Stores Lab. The lab provides a place where retail store elements can be set up, tested, and modified to advance new in-store technologies. Point-of-sale devices such as sales terminals and self-checkouts can be explored and further developed.

Floor 11 focuses on associates’ well-being and includes The Peaceful Lounge for respite and relaxation and a library space for heads-down focus work.

Team Floors 14-21 are the workhorse floors providing most of the seats for associates. The floors were arranged in a series of 12 flexible pods to allow for team flexibility. Fully mobile workstations allow associates to easily employ their agile work process.

Amenities continue on Floors 22-25 to include the two-level auditorium, the Big Room Planning multipurpose room, the Innovation Teams Lab, multiple social hubs, a community room, and two expansive balconies with skyline views of uptown Charlotte. These four levels are connected by a custom-designed cantilevered monumental stair with exposed, honest connections and pure materials, positioned to encourage associate interaction and movement and serve as a storytelling feature.

Framework for Design Excellence

As Lowe’s Home Improvement, a leading Fortune 50 organization, celebrated its 100th anniversary during an unprecedented pandemic, the goal of creating a transformational Global Technology Hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, was never unrealized. Through bold real estate decisions, creative partnerships, and an innovate-or-die mindset, a project that could have been paralyzed by global shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and a workplace revolution, saw challenges as opportunities and pressed forward. The result was the creation of a catalyst for local development, a neighborhood partner for the community, a magnet for diverse technology talent, and a new competitive advantage for one of the nation’s top retailers.

Design for Integration
The environmental graphics aimed to connect the people working at the Tech Hub with the stores - the products that are sold, the people selling them, and the customers taking them home. The graphics portfolio was designed to bring the brand to life through wayfinding and signage, acoustic treatments, dimensional murals, interactive elements, and lighting. The team looked for unexpected opportunities to tell the brand story, hoping to highlight Lowe's place in the community and embed hidden stories for users to discover. In celebration of the company's centennial, Lowe's worked with local artists to develop 100 murals that represent the vibrancy of unique communities across America. These were proudly displayed in retail stores across the country and once the exhibit was complete many of the murals were shipped to the Tech Hub for permanent display. They can be found on each floor of the hub.

Three locally crafted specialty tables can be found on Floor 25 – one log was harvested for each table from locations that are significant to Lowe’s; Representing the past is a log from Wilkesboro, NC which is the birthplace of Lowe’s Home Improvement. Representing the present is a log from Mooresville, NC which is the location of the corporate headquarters. Representing the future is a log from Charlotte, NC which is the location of the Tech Hub. Opportunities for storytelling are endless in the space.

Design for Economy
Lowe’s decided to develop the Tech Hub in the center of South End in 2018. Construction started in 2019 on the tallest and most ambitious project ever seen south of uptown Charlotte. As the first building of this type in South End, the Tech Hub served as a game-changer for South End development and ignited additional development of similar size and scale. The project, a $153 million development, consisted of 20,000 square feet of new retail at the street level, 8 levels of public and private parking, and 357,500 square feet of office space across 15 levels - all occupied by Lowe’s.

Lowe’s commitment to eventually bring 2,000+ associates to the Tech Hub sparked immediate growth of food & beverage and service retail development to serve the entire community. The addition of these onsite and nearby amenities has helped further attract, serve, and retain Lowe’s associates and continues to grow the South End culture. The partnerships born through this project have been fruitful beyond the walls of the Tech Hub as well, resulting in multiple community engagement opportunities such as a tech lounge at UNC Charlotte’s campus and the Salute to Service Lounge for Veterans Bridge Home. The success of the Tech Hub is best summarized by local community leader Michael Smith, CEO, Charlotte Center City Partners:

“The Lowe’s Tech Hub is simultaneously one of the prime catalysts for the development in South End and one of the resiliency factors for Charlotte’s economic future. Since The Tech Hub’s announcement in 2019, it has spurred a nation-leading amount of pandemic-informed office space as well as investments in the retail, residential, and hospitality sectors. Lowe’s conviction that both the quality of the space and place delivers a competitive advantage when it comes to innovation has spurred other industry-leading companies to invest in Charlotte. The Lowe’s Tech Hub in South End is also the preeminent example of Charlotte’s economic diversification beyond financial services. This diversification will increase the Charlotte region’s long-term economic resilience with not being overly reliant upon a single sector, improving cross-industry collaboration, and expanding talent pipelines.”

Design for Well-being
“Our biggest asset remains our associates. And what the building does is enable them to do their best work.” Seemantini Godbole, Chief Information Officer, and Executive VP, Lowe’s

Floor 11 focuses on associates’ well-being with the Peaceful Lounge located on this floor. The Peaceful Lounge acts as a place of respite and relaxation, especially for those traveling into the area. It contains individual lounge spaces to foster rest or work, shower facilities, massage chairs, and comfortable seating surrounding a kinetic sand table that can be therapeutic. Floor 11 also houses the library where quiet focus spaces have been designed. The library gives associates a calm place to work when breaking away from collaboration and provides additional seating to those who want to come to the office on their work-from-home days.

The top four levels are connected by a custom-designed cantilevered monumental stair. With the stair’s exposed, honest connections and pure materials, it speaks to the vision of “exposing the process.” The stair is positioned to both encourage associate interaction and movement as well as to be an integral storytelling feature for prospective associates to explore.

Design for Resources
The brand experience floods the space from the overhead sculpture, paying tribute to flying steel on a job site, to the curiosity troughs where home improvement items such as bolts, screws, and pliers are cast in place. Finally, a “stacked lumber” desk welcomes guests next to the large-scale screen portal and elevator lobby wall featuring evolving branded digital videos.

The workstations on floors 14-21 are made of butcher block surfaces with clear coat metal bases and details that highlight the welding and rawness of the material itself – reminiscent of a homeowner’s workbench.

Design for Change
The desks on the 11th floor were designed to be unassigned and keep with the trend of flexibility and mobility found on the upper levels. Floors 14 - 21 are team floors and are arranged in a series of 12 flexible “pods”. Each pod houses non-conventional, movable workstations and a grid of floor power for 12 associates, and a central scrum table that is supported by digital mobile hub technology. Each pod is separated from the other by floor-to-ceiling rolling whiteboards to support the agile scrum work process. Support spaces include brightly colored “Sandboxes” with a wide variety of furnishings for informal meetings, conference rooms, pantries, and a variety of technology demo spaces to support the needs of each team. Floor 25 includes a large community event and activity space that can be fully opened onto the rooftop terrace with skyline views.

One unexpected success of the project was because the team utilized the in-floor grid of power, robust WiFi, and non-spine-based mobile workbenches to easily and comfortably accommodate its seat count and spacing in the Tech Hub, the Tech Hub was ahead of the curve and able to flex should to meet social distancing requirements. Our constant goal to create flexibility and adaptability made this project successful during unexpected challenges.

Design for Discovery
The Lowe’s Tech Hub is the centerpiece of innovation in the region, intentionally utilizing state-of-the-art technology to support the brand’s dedication to innovation and creativity. A large-scale screen portal greets guests with compelling digital content, which leads to a digital video wall featuring evolving branded content at the elevator lobby.

A photo-realistic VR experience, created by Little, was pushed to Meta Quest 2 VR headsets to grow excitement, showcase the space, and train associates. The virtual environment enticed employees to return to the office and recruit new talent globally.

The Store’s Lab replicates the store environment to test retail elements and technologies. The space produced for the Innovation Labs team allows for exploration of high-end AR/VR technology. The Usability Lab offers space to host focus groups and test new trends or technologies. It features discrete eye tracking devices, AV capture, and a 2-way mirror for real-time data. The 2-level auditorium is outfitted with high-end technology for virtual collaboration.

Floors 22-25 include the two-level auditorium (complete with tech to make collaboration with other Lowe’s tech hubs in Kirkland, Washington, and Bangalore, India seamless) with incredible views of the uptown skyline, the Big Room Planning multipurpose collaboration rooms, the Innovation Team Lab where Lowe’s pushes the envelope on VR and AR technology, and multiple game and social hub spaces.

Innovation is on display using pervasive technology throughout the building and serves as a catalyst for technology innovation.

“Beyond its arrival as an already recognizable addition to Charlotte’s glittering skyline, the new Lowe’s tech hub is equally important as a symbol of how the region is evolving into one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets for the technology sector. Together with investments being made to position Charlotte as a center for health care and medical innovation, the Lowe’s tech hub demonstrates the region’s technology employment rapidly diversifying beyond the well-established financial and energy industries. With Charlotte continuing to attract enterprise technology jobs like those created by Lowe’s at its tech hub, North Carolina can tout two of the country’s top-ten markets for technology job growth (along with the Triangle region).” Christopher Chung, CEO, The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

Firm Name:              Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

Completion Date:     7/1/2022

Square Footage:      357500

Building Use:           Workplace

Location:                 Charlotte, NC

Design Architect:
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

Associate Architect or Firm:

Landscape Architect:

Owner / Developer:
Lowe’s Home Improvement

Engineer:
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

General Contractor:
Shelco, Inc.

Consultant:
Childress Klein (Base Building Developer)
JLL (Project Management)
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc. (Architect, Engineer, & Branded Graphics)
Office Environments (Furniture)
Diversified (Audio Visual)

Photographer:
Halkin Mason Photography