Best Building Project over $5 Million

The Markor Art Center is a 4-story, 142,200-square-foot facility, home to the A. R. T. and Caracole furniture brands.                   

But this isn’t just any building - a breathtaking exterior features a unique façade that challenges the limits of non-linear architecture with 32 twisting panels. The west and north panels have a counter-clockwise twist while the south and east panels have a clockwise twist. The convergence of these panels occurs at the southwest corner and creates an iconic entry to the Caracole suite, where the panels have a “peeled apart” appearance. 

With Markor’s team mostly based in China, the language, distance, and cultural barriers proved initially to be a challenge. To overcome the language barrier, personal translators were utilized. However, this was a barrier in itself since complex construction terminology was incredibly difficult to convey. Many times, the construction and design teams had to refer to internet images, sketches, visits to buildings, and tours of vendor manufacturing facilities to ensure both sides were on the same page. Cultural differences were evident - but none so much as building code variances between the United States and China. 

One example was the desire to use a preferred vendor in China to fabricate the decorative metal railing for the rooftop dome. However, when it arrived on-site, the handrail didn’t meet North Carolina’s building code. The construction team modified the handrail to meet the building code while still maintaining the design. Also challenging where the curved walls at the Caracole’s entry, which were designed to be metal-framed sectionalized panels. Due to excessive structural loads, this was not possible and required the addition of structural steel. To achieve the original vision, the structural framing was fabricated off-site and then stick-assembled on-site. It consisted of laser-cut steel plates, sloped columns, and pre-bent, pre-cut structural metal studs that were uniquely piece marked for their location. 

The Markor Art Center was enrolled in the OSHA Consultative Service Program, which resulted in multiple on-site inspections from OSHA with no safety citations identified. Extensive safety planning was done, in collaboration with the City of High Point, to maintain pedestrian, vehicular, and on-site visitor/worker safety. 

The Markor Art Center has already been recognized with 2 significant awards, ENR Southeast Best Project in the Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Development Category and the National EIFS Hero Award for Design and Construction.