Any poetic qualities of the new RBC Plaza come out here, on the Boylan Bridge at twilight: the building’s ability to mirror it’s surroundings is becoming evident as the glass sheathing rises up towards the spire, reflecting the sunset in an otherwise darkening lineup of familiar downtown Raleigh buildings.
The architecture of Raleigh’s new tallest building remains altogether conservative, appropriate to its owner, RBC Centura Bank. CooperCarry out of Atlanta serves as the architect of the project. The design for the new mixed-use Headquarters Plaza takes a much-desired step forward from CooperCarry’s last Raleigh thumbprint, the Progress Energy buildings. Their design statement reads, “The architectural styles for the (Progress Energy buildings) are a blend of building facades that include interpretations of historically referenced building details as well as contemporary imagery to create a hybrid building that reflects the passing of time within an evolving urban context.” In other words, the building is rigorously postmodern, exercising some jazzed up pseudo-contextualist brand of urban eclecticism. Reflects the passing of time? Hardly.
Instead, the RBC Center designs exhibit more restraint and discipline--both crucial to well-designed objects. The project was aesthetically and conceptually simplified, and strengthened, from the original renderings (above) that we saw more than two years ago: the building stopped trying to look like all of the 70’s and 80’s structures around it, and eliminated the applied vertical concrete striping which was likely meant to accentuate the tallness of the headquarters, and to visually distinguish the office portion of the program from the residential. (The building already achieves both of these expressions formally, without the added ornament.) With this simple change, the building’s mixed-use program reads clearly from the elevation, as the base form is shaved back to create a rooftop pool and pavilion for the building’s residents, condominium balconies repetitively protrude from the glass skin.
A major design move that seems out of place with the whole composition, and competes with the rest of the simple glass form, is the advent of a crown and spire atop the penthouse. This element is vaguely reminiscent of the glass pyramid at the Louvre, designed by I.M. Pei--the difference being the level of visual and physical interactivity between that glass sculpture--which functions as a modernist jewel that contrasts the rest of the museum, a progression of additions and renovations spanning almost a millennium--and the building patron. Here, it takes a top level bank executive to experience this ‘jewel’ on a regular basis. So, any experiential reference of value is lost atop an office and condo building in downtown Raleigh, not to mention that the construction and product will obviously never reach the level of sophisticated elegance as the most visited museum in the world. This crown could have been anything. To let go of the consistent rectilinear formal asymmetry to an angled hipped shape suggests an unsuccessfully fought owner mandate or a last minute breakdown in the same self-confidence that drove the design process from a weaker schematic to a stronger final figure.
Overall, this project gets the New Raleigh thumbs up. Banks don’t draw businesses to an area, businesses draw banks. Charlotte has two major bank headquarters, and now Raleigh has one. Raleigh is primarily a government downtown (that is why capitol city economies are more stable than most cities--governments are always in business), but this addition will diversify our local economy and bring more high money jobs--and more people--downtown. Do you think we would be seeing such expensive restaurants popping up as quickly as they are now without a RBC Headquarters? Scott Custer has to eat somewhere. In broader terms, RBC Centura coming to Raleigh represents a sort of coming of age of the Research Triangle Park, and their new building will be an appropriate and welcomed addition to our downtown skyline.
New Raleigh, NC > RBC Centura Headquarters, Plaza Condominiums: Mixed-Use Project Reflects Downtown Raleigh Context
RBC Centura Headquarters, Plaza Condominiums: Mixed-Use Project Reflects Downtown Raleigh Context
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JZ02/05 09:15 AM
I’m pleased to see this contribution to the Raleigh downtown. Its a limited pleasure, but one nonetheless. Where I think they missed an opportunity and we as residents suffer is with the second and third (and fourth?) floors occupied completely with parking.
The mandate to have ground floor retail aside, the second and third floor of any Main Street building is a great place to see and be seen, further making a connection with what is going on in the city and, conversely, inside the building.
Strangely, I think of the parade in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” where the film’s director, John Hughes, inserted images of people in the buildings dancing along with the folks on the street. I think this was deliberate to heighten our sense of excitement while watching the film. It is successful, however, because we can identify with that experience. We know in some way it is better than seeing the back end of two dozen cars lofted in the air.
As a counterpoint, in Chicago, Marina City Towers are successful examples of where cars are on the first dozen floors or so. But it works for two reasons: First, the building does not have an strong connection to Michigan Avenue (and, its Chicago, populated by thousands of other contributing structures) Second, the building’s form ultimately expresses its function in its cylindrical form and graceful scalloped floor plates. In other words, we can look at the building and apprehend how it works.
While the RBC tower fails in these respects, I am pleased to see the bank making such a substantial investment in downtown simultaneously bringing much needed residents to our main street.
Dana02/05 11:07 AM
I agree with the points made here. I don’t think the spire works in basically an international styled building. They are more for buildings with square-ish floor forms.
This article was a good discussion of the building’s upper half, however this building’s strength, really, is its lower half. Incorporating street level retail with minimal service frontage was an impressive feat. I like the parking hidden in the mid-levels, although JZ had a good point: the ground level isn’t the only place where a building is important to its immediate neighborhood.
I am more of a fan of Progress II than most. All of these buildings seem evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, but that’s OK. They are merely building blocks of a big puzzle the city is doing a good job with. One or two tall buildings don’t make a “city”.
RaleighRob02/06 09:17 AM
Well don’t discount parking decks for people watching parades. Last St. Patty’s day, there were tons of folks watching the parade from the parking deck on Blount. And once, I saw the Lincoln Theatre had an outdoor concert on E. Cabarrus, and there were dozens watching it from Progress Energy deck.
Anyways, back on topic, I agree RBC Plaza is not only a great addition to our skyline but will definitely help in reviving Fayetteville Street. More residents, more workers, more retail. All three components we need!
robo02/06 12:21 PM
Overall, this design made good sweeping moves. One issue I have with buildings of this scale, however, is that detail gets left behind. The base matches the Hudson building with a composition of decorative concrete and glass at about the same general scale. However, I expect that the scale of detail and variety will be similar to the Progress Energy building, not the Hudson. Look at the storefronts in these buildings and you will see how one engages the sidewalk and one provides its tenants with blank slots (considering that the Hudson storefronts are adjacent to the largest construction site in town right now).
Not only is Wilmington St. becoming a series of parking lot entrances and service yards, it is gradually losing visual interest and character for the pedestrian. This is a historic street as well as the connection between Shaw and downtown, and it’s being treated like a back alley.
Increasing population is encouraging development of the unique spaces in Mr. Hatem’s Neighborhood, but this particular building’s contribution to the streetscape is limited.
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