Lowe's Corporate Headquarters

Lowe’s wanted to challenge the standards of office parks and create an immersive, destination-style work environment for employees. While the campus boasts over two-million square feet of office space, we wanted to emphasize that the employee experience could span 275 acres. The employee experience is centered around the seven-acre amenity lake–activated along its edge with a series of trails that weave throughout the campus and provide an outdoor reprieve for employees. A pedestrian bridge is the architectural centerpiece of the lake, integrating building materials and plantings that create a sense of place and belonging. Anchored on each end of the pedestrian bridge, stone walls meet the water’s edge, and dedicated gathering spaces with programmable furnishings create opportunities to host outdoor functions. Planting materials enrich this experience, providing seasonal interest and textures while tying into the overall theme of natural immersion.

For Lowe’s Corporate Headquarters, a key element in achieving their vision for their destination-style workplace was to create a signature lake amenity that doubles as the site’s main stormwater system. The lake was created by impounding a natural stream that runs through the site and feeds the seven-acre lake. A 38-foot-high earthen dam, approved by the USCOE, NCDENR Division of Land Quality and NCDENR Division of Water Quality, provides internal roadway connectivity, fulfilling both principal and emergency spillway functions. The dam, lake, and adjacent wetlands provides quality stormwater management as well as a more sustainable approach to landscape irrigation for the campus. Lake water quality and ecological balance are enhanced by planting around the shore and wetlands in addition to stocking the lake with selective fish species.