CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke Energy will open its new corporate headquarters at Duke Energy Plaza, a 40-floor office tower currently under construction in Uptown Charlotte. Formerly known as Metro Tower, Duke Energy Plaza will house approximately 4,400 employees.
Childress Klein Properties is the developer of Duke Energy Plaza, which will have 25,000 square feet of retail square footage and seven levels of above-ground parking totaling 1,100 spaces. Construction on the new Duke Energy Plaza is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2022 with interior work extending into 2023. Approximately 1,000 craftsman and trade workers will be employed during the three-year construction period.
Duke Energy plans to exit its Charlotte offices, including Duke Energy Center located at 550 South Tryon St. and Piedmont Town Center in South Park. Once the new tower is complete, the company plans to sell its 526 Church St. and 401 College St. facilities and exit the 400 South Tryon St. facility. The plan is to consolidate the spaces the company occupies in the Charlotte area from approximately 2.5 million square feet to approximately 1 million square feet. The company expects this decision will result in $85 million to $90 million in savings over the next five years.
Duke Energy is adopting a new workplace model where some office employees will work onsite or remotely full-time, but the majority of office employees will have a hybrid schedule where they will split time between working in the office and working remotely. Until its new corporate headquarters is finished, the company will transition into other existing facilities and begin to adopt the new workplace model.