Jump to content

Duke Energy Center - 48 Story Office Tower in Charlotte


dubone

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 899
  • Created
  • Last Reply

By naked eye observation, it appears that the fixtures for these lights go all the way up the corners of the tower. I really hope it goes all the way up. That said, the northern Tryon-facing corner only had five of the six lights lit up tonight. I hope they don't already have issues with the lights. It would be a shame if such a great idea was plagued with wiring issues.

I noticed the lights were going up significantly higher on the building last night, almost half way up the building. Also another corner of the building was lit. From my view (Trademark) I previously could only see one corner of lights and now I see two. It looked awesome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also noticed that they have finally added more steel to the top. I was beginning to wonder if WF was just going to value-engineer out the handle from the design since they waited over two weeks to start going vertical after they finished the previous level.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^interesting

Found a great picture to help people further understand the handle and its scale. The final lit up floor is floor 49. then there is 5 more mechanical.

projectVertical.jpg

That is such a cool rendering! Good find. If they dont put an observation deck up there, it's truly a missed opportunity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^interesting

That is such a cool rendering! Good find. If they dont put an observation deck up there, it's truly a missed opportunity.

I agree so much, just look at all the space above the top floor, that is plenty of room for an outdoor observation deck or at least a touristy cafe/restaurant/bar.

projectVertical.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree so much, just look at all the space above the top floor, that is plenty of room for an outdoor observation deck or at least a touristy cafe/restaurant/bar.

projectVertical.jpg

If you have been to other cities that have observation areas, you know the security issues that you have to go through. The ball in Dallas is like going to Fort Knox. I doubt Wells will want public areas up there though it would be great. I use to go to Slug's 30th back in the day, when you could trust people, the view was beautiful. I had at least hoped for a large high space where the glass slopes but it appears to be all floored in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for mentioning Slugs....that reminds me, I need to go to Bentley's for a drink and a view, which honestly is probably more impressive than the top of the Wells building.

Having an observation deck at the top of Wellschovia is like going to the top of the Empire State Building. It's relatively impressive just from the sheer amount of stuff that you can see, but you are so high above most buildings that you really are just looking at their mechanicals. Bentley's, at the top of Charlotte Plaza gives you enough height to have great views, but not too high where you can't appreciate the skyline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.....

Having an observation deck at the top of Wellschovia is like going to the top of the Empire State Building. It's relatively impressive just from the sheer amount of stuff that you can see, but you are so high above most buildings that you really are just looking at their mechanicals. ....

Gosh. I think that is the first time that I have heard the views from the ESB observation deck described in those terms and reduced down to what one can find at Bentleys.

IMO, and it is an opinion, I don't think the omission of an observation deck on this building can't be excused way because it is too high or because Texans are paranoid about the war on terror. They didn't put one on this building because it would have added to the cost of putting it up and because the banks have never really had an interest in the public space aspects of their skyscrapers. It's one of the lacking things in downtown Charlotte. A city that has a skyline but with views limited to the few. It's a metaphor of what is wrong with downtown in general.

I recommend a view of the video that I posted in this post on why such things are important. And this is in a city not known for a skyline. (about 2 min into the video).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I wasn't implying that the typical person would rather see Charlotte's skyline from Bentley's than New York from the ESB. More appropriate would be a view from the Top of the Rock is superior to from the 86th floor observation deck at the ESB, as you are about 150' lower and you can actually see the ESB from Rockefeller center.

But yes, simply put, it was a cost that Wachovia did not want to incur.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I wasn't implying that the typical person would rather see Charlotte's skyline from Bentley's than New York from the ESB. More appropriate would be a view from the Top of the Rock is superior to from the 86th floor observation deck at the ESB, as you are about 150' lower and you can actually see the ESB from Rockefeller center.

My thoughts exactly. And the security to get to the top of the Rock is minimal compared to the ESB. Actually, the very top level of the Rock leaves little to protect or prevent you from jumping too. I went this past holiday season and was astounded at how much nicer the top of the Rock was than the ESB. As for Wachovia, I feel you would get a rather impressive view of the skyline considering where it is located uptown. It is far enough down South Tryon to be able to see over its unattractive/unimpressive WF siblings but be far enough away to get a good view of the towers on N. Tryon/5th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts exactly. And the security to get to the top of the Rock is minimal compared to the ESB. Actually, the very top level of the Rock leaves little to protect or prevent you from jumping too. I went this past holiday season and was astounded at how much nicer the top of the Rock was than the ESB. As for Wachovia, I feel you would get a rather impressive view of the skyline considering where it is located uptown. It is far enough down South Tryon to be able to see over its unattractive/unimpressive WF siblings but be far enough away to get a good view of the towers on N. Tryon/5th.

No question, Top of the Rock is far superior to ESB. Much nicer view (you can actually see the ESB), fewer crowds, no wait and I think its cheaper.

Slightly OT I guess but here are a couple of shots:

109560978.jpg

109560987.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.