BUILDING INC.

• Author: Mason, Anna

Years of economic strength have combined to create a robust construction market, which is evident in the ninth Building North Carolina awards for commercial real-estate projects. The eight category winners and nine honorable mentions span a wide spectrum of industries and include offices, apartments, performing arts, athletics, health care and lodging. Our editorial team selected the buildings with input from representatives of the state's construction and architecture industries. Projects that were completed between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 were selected based on design, innovation and community impact.

OVERALL DESIGN

NIDO AND MARIANA QUBEIN ARENA, CONFERENCE CENTER AND HOTEL

HIGH POINT

Developer: High Point University

Contractor: Christman Co. and Samet Corp.

Architect: Odell

Cost: $170 million

Size: 350,000 square feet

Since 2005, High Point University has undergone a complete transformation with 90 new buildings and more than $ 1 billion of development. The growth has rallied its hometown city, whose legacy as the world's furniture capital was hit hard as many U.S. manufacturers moved production overseas.

In October 2021, the university added another landmark to its campus with a unique facility that serves as a venue for basketball games, concerts, conferences and community events. It was named after the university president and his wife who have led High Point's expansion since 2005 with no letup in sight--about $400 million of projects are planned or under construction.

The 4,500-seat arena includes luxury suites, athletic training space and other amenities. Without leaving the building, visitors can walk to a conference center that hosts meetings with as many as 2,500 people, an intimate hotel with 40 rooms and various dining and meeting rooms.

Nido Qubein guided the design of the property based on what he learned by giving 7,500 motivational speeches at conference centers and meeting spaces across the world since the 1970s.

High Point enrolled a record 6,000 students this fall, including 1,600 new students. New schools for law, dentistry and nursing are in various stages of development, while an $80 million, 150,000-square foot library is expected to open in 2024.

The university hopes the new arena can attract recruits to help improve its men's basketball program, which has had losing records in five of the last six years. G.G. Smith, son of High Point alum and former University of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, succeeded his father as the team's coach near the end of the 2021-22 season.

COMMERCIAL PROJECT

301 HILLSBOROUGH AT RALEIGH CROSSING

RALEIGH

Developer: Fallon Company

Contractor: Clancy & Theys Construction Co.

Architect: Duda/Paine Architects

Cost: $160 million

Size: 299,752 square feet

Boston-based Fallon Company made its first mixed-use development in Raleigh a notable one with the April opening of 301 Hillsborough, a 19-story tower with about 287,000 square feet of office space and 12,100 square feet for retailers. It's one of Raleigh's tallest buildings with key tenants including Raleigh software firm Pendo, which leased the top five floors, and the Nelson Mullins law...