Strategic Connections Provides and Programs LED Lighting for Outside of Duke Energy Center

Back in 2007 Wachovia announced that its new headquarters would be at 550 South Tryon Street. Fast forward four years and the building has a new owner: Duke Energy. A fitting tenant considering the dazzling electrical light display that will eminate from the edges of the building.

The handlebar-like structure at the top of the building is all the talk, but most noticable will be the building's programmable exterior LED lighting, provided by Strategic Connections. The developer says the Duke Energy Center is the only building like it in the country with that handlebar look. There's one building similar to it in Shanghai.

The skyscraper is 48-stories tall and provides 1.34 million-square-feet of space. The building has achieved Platinum-level LEED certification.

Occupying about 500,000 square feet, Duke Energy will be the primary tenant and have the most prestigious floors through the upper forty-eight, which will serve as the headquarters floors and will likely house the executive suites. Duke Energy will move in around late 2010.

The tower will have a sky window on top, and a garden—but only maintenance workers will have access.

The skyscraper would likely be full of tenants if Wachovia/Wells Fargo were still using it as its headquarters since the bank had planned to occupy the majority of the building.

Watch the Lights in Action

Duke will also occupy floors thirty-six through forty-eight (as well as floors fifteen through twenty-two), though they won't be nearly as fancy as the top floors.