NASCAR Hall of Fame
Curving, sloped forms echo the sinuous shape of the racetrack and the essential quality of speed, which is at the heart of the NASCAR spectacle.
Beginning as a curved, sloping exterior wall enclosing the building, a free spanning ribbon twists over the main entry to form a welcoming canopy. The long, thin incisions in this metal skin are analogous to the blur of a car racing past the spectator at tremendous speed. A large glazed oval forms the Great Hall, the symbolic core of the Hall of Fame, and the primary visitor entrance. In this hall, a curved, banked ramp leads the visitor from the main floor to the exhibit levels above. The ramp contains a display of race cars frozen mid-race, once again capturing the speed and spectacle that is the essence of the sport.
Show Facts
Site
Corner of Caldwell and Stonewall streets
Components
Great Hall, visitor services including entry and exhibit space, Hall of Honor, broadcast studio 175,000 s/f Hall of Fame and Museum; 100,000 s/f ballroom; 425,000 s/f NASCAR Tower; 1,000-space parking garage
Client
City of Charlotte; Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority; Charlotte Convention Center; Lauth Property Group; NASCAR
PCF&P Services
Site planning, architecture; exterior envelope; interior design
Sustainability
Designed for LEED Silver certification (tower)
Awards
American Architecture Award
Chicago Athenaeum / European Centre, 2012
Design Award of Merit
Society of American Registered Architects, 2012
Ideas2 Awards: National Award
American Institute of Steel Construction, 2013
Best of 2010 Awards: Award of Excellence for Architectural Design
McGraw Hill, 2010
CISCA Construction Excellence Silver Award
Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association, 2010
An important part of the overall design strategy was to locate NASCAR Plaza Tower on the northern edge of the site, poised toward the pedestrian traffic and energy of the downtown Charlotte city center. On the southern edge is the Plaza, a forecourt to the Hall of Fame. A broadcast studio enlivens this public space, serving as an origination point for a variety of radio and television broadcasts by NASCAR’s media partners.
Project Credits
Associate Architect for Hall of Fame/ballroom/parking: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Charlotte, NC; Associate Architect for office tower: LS3P Associates Ltd., Charlotte, North Carolina; Site Observations Architect: Tobin Dudley Starr, Charlotte, NC; Structural: Leslie E. Roberston Associates, New York; Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing: Jaros Baum & Bolles, New York, NY; Exhibit Design: Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc., New York; Images: Paul Warchol, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Peter Brentlinger, Stanley Capps