Location: Coulwood East Neighborhood, Charlotte, NC

Size:  40 acres

Client: Mecklenburg Country

Story: FMK ARCHITECTS WORKED FOR DESIGN LEAD KIMLEY-HORN TO REPLACE MECKLENBURG COUNTY’S AGING, SPACE-CONSTRAINED, AND INEFFICIENT COMPOST FACILITY THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY IN THE WAY OF THE CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RUNWAY EXPANSION. 

Services included the planning and design of a 15,000 square foot heavy-equipment and management office building, a 9,000 square foot open-air materials storage shed, and a 1,100 square foot modular scale house.  The 30 acres of paving presented civil engineering challenges, such as managing stormwater runoff and organization as the site merges large yard waste hauling with the county residents' recycling drop off.  The architecture had to be cost-effective and able to withstand years of use while accommodating the varied visitors to the site.