Duke Energy Celebrates New HQ Opening at Duke Energy Center

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor Duke Energy recently opened its new corporate headquarters in the most sustainable skyscraper in America, the Duke Energy Center in uptown Charlotte at 550 S. Tyron St. The energy giant leased 500,000 square feet on 22 [...]

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

Duke Energy recently opened its new corporate headquarters in the most sustainable skyscraper in America, the Duke Energy Center in uptown Charlotte at 550 S. Tyron St. The energy giant leased 500,000 square feet on 22 floors in the state-of-the-art high-rise owned by Wells Fargo., as reported by the Charlotte Observer.

Both the tower and Duke’s interior spaces have received LEED Platinum certification, the highest green-building rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, meaning it has succeeded in creating a perfectly sustainable working environment for its employees by maximizing the use of natural lighting and using less energy and water than other similar buildings.

“Our Platinum designation complements the fact that the Duke Energy Center is the first high-rise office tower in the nation to receive LEED Core and Shell Platinum certification,” said Jim Rogers, Duke Energy CEO, in a press release. “We all hope the new Duke Energy Center will serve as a catalyst for other buildings, businesses and communities throughout the state and country to embrace design principles that are environmentally sound.”

The Duke Energy Center was originally to be known as Wachovia Corporate Center, yet those plans were abandoned later on when Wells Fargo & Co. bought Wachovia at the end of 2008 and sold the naming rights to Duke Energy, now the anchor tenant of the 1.5 million-square-foot tower, rising 48 stories. The crown jewel seems to be the three-story atrium at the top, which offers magnificent panoramic views of the city.

In other news, Greensboro, N.C.-based Bell Partners announced that they have sold Cotswold Village and Terrace at SouthPark shopping centers to Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty Corp. for a combined $85 million, as part of a strategic plan to focus mainly on multifamily housing ownership and management.

Cotswold Village totals 262,253 square feet and sits on 22 acres at the intersection of Sharon Amity and Randolph Roads, having Harris Teeter, Marshalls and PetSmart as anchor tenants. The 28,658-square-foot Terraces at SouthPark center was built in 1999, and its largest tenants include FedEx/Kinko’s and SunTrust Bank, according to the Charlotte Observer.

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