2025 Texas & Southeast Best Projects
Best Office/Retail/Mixed Use: North Hills Expansion
North Hills Expansion
Raleigh
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by Brasfield & Gorrie
Owner Kane Realty Corp.
Lead Design Firm Ci Design
GC/CM Brasfield & Gorrie
Structural/Civil Engineer Brockette Davis Drake
MEP Engineer Crenshaw Consulting Engineers; Optima Engineering
Fire Protection Allied Fire Protection
A combination of high-rise and mid-rise office buildings with an underground parking deck, the $227-million expansion of the existing North Hills Main District represents the latest phase in the evolution of the property. The 12-story residential building features 287 units as well as ground-level retail, an amenity deck with fire pits and a second-floor pool deck overlooking a new public plaza. A 10-story office tower, dubbed One North Hills, is Raleigh’s first post-COVID-designed office tower. It features touchless entry and controlled access points, enhanced air-filtration systems and a terrace created for working and gathering outdoors.
A second office building, 4114 Creative Offices, is a five-story, 80,800-sq-ft building designed by Ci Design. It features office spaces, flexible layout options, a walking bridge connection and a rooftop terrace overlooking the new public plaza. A two-story podium parking deck was built below the development. To prepare the site, crews demolished an existing JCPenney retail store and portions of an existing concrete parking deck.
Brasfield & Gorrie partnered with 15 design consultants, an unusually large and diverse group for a mixed-use development. The team established a clear management structure that aligned with each partner’s role.
Photo by Susan Holt
Kane Realty engaged Ci Design for master planning, including parking, the podium and a five-story office; Cline Design for multifamily components; and Duda|Paine Architects for a 10-story office building. Each firm brought expertise in its respective market sector. Brasfield & Gorrie led the coordination effort, ensuring alignment across design intent, constructibility and project goals.
As one of the first major projects in the city after COVID, the project team faced volatile markets and supply chain disruptions. To mitigate financial and schedule risks, Brasfield & Gorrie proactively secured labor rates and purchased critical materials early in the project. Despite these efforts, switchgear lead times increased dramatically from 20 weeks to more than 65 weeks, threatening key milestones for three of the buildings. The project team collaborated with engineers and trade partners to identify alternate gear manufacturers and avoided all escalations throughout the project, with the final cost being 3.18% under budget.
Photo by Susan Holt
Crews worked on a tight, active site within 5 ft of existing occupied structures and public roadways. Precise planning, proactive coordination and phased construction sequencing were necessary to support both public safety and ongoing business operations.
Despite the constraints, the team maintained continuous access to main roads and ensured that retail operations in Raleigh’s busiest shopping district remained uninterrupted throughout construction.
Brasfield & Gorrie self-performed all concrete work, placing more than 60,000 cu yd—its largest self-perform concrete effort ever in the Carolinas.
The project team’s ability to adapt, communicate and collaborate under pressure turned a potential high-risk project into a success. In addition to coming in under budget at completion, the project finished three months early without comprising quality.
