DESIGNWORKS 2022

Ally Charlotte Center

Charlotte , NC

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting- Charlotte NC

The design team looked to the cultures of the client and the context of the project to influence and guide the design. In the research of the context and history of the project, the site had humble beginnings as the home to a quarry for the City Rock Crushing company in the early 1900’s, which is leveraged heavily into the design’s development.
Using the history of the rock quarry the design developed into an idea of the “Geode”, a rough-shelled rock containing a cavity lined with crystals. As the building’s envelope is wrapped in a hard concrete “shell”, the lobby of the building became the symbolic “hollow void in the rock”, presenting itself as the perfect opportunity to show off the jewel within.
The solution to the hollow is a pristine liner in white that nests itself in a wood core, a nod back to developer’s logging origins. This reveal of the hollow is intended to connect our building to the experience of Tryon Street and in turn connect the city to Ally Charlotte Center, it’s retail gallery, and the unique setting for Charlotte and its tenants. The walls that form the liner open to reveal the “jewel” within. A gesture created by an array of vertical digital slots that form a constantly evolving wall of information and graphics. The unique angle of these slots creates an ever-changing perspective as one moves through the lobby; the intent being to create a reflection of Ally’s innovative digital experiences for its customers.