Tower makes Ballantyne Village hard to miss - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Sitting on the highestr elevation in the greaterBallantyne community, the $50-million mixed-use center is alreadyg perched well above its neighbors. Sheild, added to the project's towering dimensiond with a 108-foot-tall glazed glass and silver-coatee steel rotunda lit up by an multicoloredLED display. The result: a beaconm for diners and shopperse from acrossthe area. The striking rotundza was the result of Ballantyne Village ownerGeorger Sheild's directions to his architect, John Weller, to buildc "something eye-catching and dramatic, but also that will stand the test of Sheild now calls the $1 million feature the crownh of the project.
Weller, principal of ai Designm Groupin Charlotte, says because the lightingt scheme in the rotunda is computer-generated, "thde color variations are infinite." Over the July 4 for example, the flashing lightsz were red, white and And the displays are coordinated with the development's centerpiece on the a lighted fountain. The rotundaq has a diameter of45 feet, and Sheil d plans to add an outdoor terracwe and bar at the top next summer. Sheild's effort to createw a landmark haspaid off.
The 160,000 squared feet of retail andboutique restaurants; 135,000 square feet of officed space; a YMCA branch; a three-level, 500-car parking deck and a third-flood movie theater that acts as an anchore are drawing consistent crowds. Sheild says movid theaters aren't usually good anchors. But he and his partner, Bob Brune of Dallas, Texas, took a different approachj by having the theater focus on independentg films popular amongthe well-educated, affluent patrons they want to attracft to Ballantyne Village. The theater also features a largre lobby that acts as agathering place; patrons can also orderd wine and sushi to brinvg into a movie.
Sheild and Bruner own the which is operated byConsolidated Theatres. "Thwe theater acts as a drawing card for the customers who fit ourtenant mix," Sheild says. "Ballantyne Villagr is an entertainment venue, but we also have tenants that provideenough day-to-day needsa and services to promote steady foot The YMCA fitness center attracts adults, whilew eateries like Panera Bread and Moe'sw Southwest Grill cater to nearby office workers for "It's an urban-lifestyle town center in a suburban he says. Weller says the desigbn offers Main Street ambience where peopl feelcomfortable "walking and meanderint around.
" To encourage that, he adds, "wer made it playful and with a varietg of facades. We didn't want a homogenous look -- if you design down to the last detail, you lose The facades feature several kindwof brick, and banners are used to create color and movement. Technology is also used to make the center more Touch screens help visitorxsfind tenants, patrons can purchase movie ticketa from a street-level kiosk, and there are 26 wireless accesa points. Although the five-screen theater is the first upper-level movier house in Charlotte, Sheild says the conceptf has proven a successful economicf model inother cities.
But building it was a particularly when it came to minimizingv the sound leaving the theater and preventing externaol sounds fromdisturbing moviegoers. A sound consultanyt was hired forthat task. The theater's locatioj on the third floor above retaill andoffice space, as well as the structure's glass rotundaq and asymmetrical shape, made for an unusuao design, Weller says. This caused some interesting encountere withthe county's building inspectors.
"This was truly a fast-tracik project and as such, we were alwayas challenged with phasing the permit saysChris Nash, of , who acted as construction "The plan reviewers downtown do a very thorough job and the fieldf inspectors are just as thorough. As such, this aspect of the projectf was adefinite challenge, but my hat is off to them." Adds "Our biggest challenge was getting