Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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BALLANTYNE | feature Q continued from page 52 he is down in a ditch inspecting building foundations, at the bottom of an elevator pit or inside a mechanical room looking at wiring conduits. At these times, he isn't worried about how his hair looks, if his shirt gets dirty or if he needs a shower when he gets back in his car. That makes him a very special architect." Bo Fitcher of Cox Schepp Construction Company, who serves as general superintendant at Ballantyne Corporate Park, has worked with Floyd over 20 years. "He's somebody you can talk to," Fitcher insists. "He will sit down and make everything come out right in the end." Floyd would be the first to dispel the notion that architects exist in an ivory tower. "To represent the owner, you have to be there long before the lines go on the paper and long after the building is commissioned and turned over. You have to understand the owner and his vision of what he wants." For instance, to further the master plan in Ballantyne Corporate Park required several organizational tools. "One of them is that things need to have a sense of order," Floyd says. "Mr. Bissell calls this 'axial architecture.' By that I mean there is a strong sense of order, geometry in the park and a radial pattern on the western side of the Corporate Park, anchored by the hospitality-amenities center. Likewise, when you come from Charlotte on I-485 and see the park's signature buildings — Hixon, Chandler and Simmons — an axis is created from this campus q ls. "One of them to have a sense ys. "Mr. Bissell hitecture.' re is a strong ometry in ial pattern e of the chored by enities center. u come from and see the uildings r and s is campus Shoe Shop Make this the best school year ever! 50% The #1 Alegria Retailer in the U.S.A. with every style, in every color, in every size. Open Now in StoneCrest Shopping Center 7868-K Rae Rd Charlotte, NC 28277 (704)542-6733 www.alegriashoeshop.com 2010 Huntington Learning Centers, Inc. Independently owned and operated *Offer valid for Diagnostic Test only. Not valid with any other offer. 54 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 OFF Diagnostic Evaluation for Ballantyne Magazine Readers Convenient to Ballantyne, Huntington Learning Center can quickly and accurately determine your child's educational challenges and tailor a program that helps them improve their grades. We've been helping local families since 1989. Our goal is improved academic performance and peace of mind. You appreciate how much your child's future depends on academic achievement. Call us right now at (704)542-5421 and we'll help you improve those grades and give your child the skills essential for success at school and success in life. 704.542.5421 8700 Pineville Matthews Road Charlotte NC 28226 WINTER 2010-2011 FLOYD'S FINISHING TOUCH Appearances can be deceiving, an illusion Jeff Floyd has leveraged in the exterior envelopes of the offi ce buildings in Ballantyne Corporate Park. He designs every tower with a base, shaft and top, but imparts a distinct character to each by adorning them with different types of surfaces. Amazingly, this sophisticated architectural effect is achieved with common- place precast concrete. "The panels are all one matrix of stone and cement cast in a mold," he explains, "but if you look closely in different lights, it is not all one color or one fi nish on the sections of a building. Some are smooth, some are rough, proportioned by 'reveals' that we sandblast or do a retarded fi nish on, which exposes the stone aggregate. This technique cre- ates different aesthetics that give a building scale and texture without having to pay added expenses for different pieces of material." It's a classic Jeff Floyd fl ourish — part art, part science and part business: offi ce buildings that appear elegant, but are cast in stone.