Fort Mill, SC
LPL Financial Carolinas Campus
A Corporate Campus Designed to Exemplify Company Values
status
Completed 2016
client
Childress Klein
expertise
Office + Corporate Campus
services
Landscape Architecture Civil Engineering Master Planning Land Planning
Light On the Land
A project-wide collaborative effort toward sustainability earned this progressive build-to-suit campus LEED Gold certification and a perfect score in water efficiency, meeting net-zero energy and water usage goals.
Nestled into a 30-acre, densely-wooded site and walkable to the mixed use development Kingsley Town Center, the new LPL Financial regional headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina offers a unique blend of urban and rural spaces. Envisioned as a 4-building complex to employ nearly 3,000 people, the Carolinas Campus consolidates LPL’s multiple Carolina-area offices into one location, re-igniting their workplace culture and sense of community. Phase 1, which is comprised of two office buildings overlooking a large central lake, showcases LPL’s commitment to employee wellness while minimizing environmental impact through net-zero water and net-zero energy goals.
Childress Klein and tvsdesign enlisted LandDesign to design a new landmark destination campus that focuses on employee wellbeing, features unique sustainable elements, and accommodates future growth. Featuring 16 acres of permanently preserved open space, site amenities include a central arrival court, a 4-acre stormwater lake and hardscape promenade, and the “backyard,” a natively planted recreation zone including an event lawn, basketball court, putting green, and jogging trails.
The LPL Financial campus was designed to reflect the company’s commitment to employee wellbeing and sustainability. The lakefront promenade offers multiple open air workspaces to accommodate outdoor meetings, while 2 miles of walking trails, the “backyard” recreation zone, and community garden were incorporated into the site to promote employee wellness. By integrating employee amenities into the natural setting, the design team created an inspiring workplace that aims to improve productivity, reduce stress, and instill pride for LPL employees.
Inspiring Workplace
Awarded “Project of the Year” by the Charlotte Business Journal, the project incorporates net-zero water design strategies to minimize potable water usage, leverages technology and materials that reduce impact to the environment, integrates nature into the design, and creates an inspiring workspace for LPL employees.
Preserving trees was a major priority of the LPL Financial campus design, requiring a close collaboration between LandDesign and the architecture team. Established early in the visioning process, this goal remained a guiding consideration during the design and construction phases. Informed by the land, the infrastructure and building layout were thoughtfully designed to save as many trees as possible, resulting in over 10 acres of tree save area — about 30 percent of the total site. Today, employees can engage with nature and walk within the trees without realizing they are surrounded by development. Additionally, hardwood reclaimed from the site was salvaged and reused within the building, including for a wood feature wall in the lobby.
Physical
Minimize impact to the site by maximizing tree save, capturing and treating stormwater runoff, reducing energy use and water consumption, and utilizing a low-maintenance native planting palette
Functional
Weave building and site amenities into the woodlands, taking advantage of the campus’ natural surroundings while providing direct access to mixed use amenities
Social
Implement site amenities and campus features that promote employee wellbeing and encourage greater physical movement, increasing employee satisfaction
Physical
Minimize impact to the site by maximizing tree save, capturing and treating stormwater runoff, reducing energy use and water consumption, and utilizing a low-maintenance native planting palette
Functional
Weave building and site amenities into the woodlands, taking advantage of the campus’ natural surroundings while providing direct access to mixed use amenities
Social
Implement site amenities and campus features that promote employee wellbeing and encourage greater physical movement, increasing employee satisfaction
A Net-Zero Water Champion
On-site captured greywater is re-used for irrigation, eliminating the need for potable water and leading to a 100% reduction of potable water use. A 99% regionally native and drought-tolerant plant palette led to a 50% reduction in irrigation needs.
The majority of site runoff is captured, treated, and detained and/or reused on-site.
Better-Than-Before Water Management
The stormwater management plan is designed to prevent post-development peak runoff rates and quantities from exceeding pre-development rates and quantities. The site’s central lake doubles as a detention basin for on-site water storage. A rain garden and wetland in the rear of the property also captures, treats, and slows excess overflow from the cistern.
Enticing Corporate Offices from Charlotte to Fort Mill
Situated within the LandDesign-led mixed use development of Kingsley Town Center and adjacent to the 2,100-acre Anne Springs Close Greenway nature preserve, LPL Financial found Fort Mill to be the ideal location for their Charlotte-region headquarters due to the site’s direct access to retail, residents, and nature.
Native Plant Palette
A key component to the site design was the preservation of as much of the existing trees and vegetation as possible. In areas where the tree save was not feasible, LandDesign incorporated masses of meadow plantings, made up of short and tall grasses and flowering perennials, which transitions to woodland areas.
