In May, the premier Brooklyn & Church development in Charlotte broke ground where project partners used sledgehammers to symbolically tear down a photo wall with the current office building revealing a rendering of what’s to come for the Uptown area nearby Bank of America Stadium.

Set to energize this prominent corner with 448 luxury apartments and vibrant retail, the new adaptive reuse project may have officially started construction, but for Balfour Beatty and repeat client Asana Partners, in partnership with MRP Realty and Rockefeller Group, preconstruction services were well underway before the ceremonial groundbreaking. These preliminary efforts took on an ambitious sustainability challenge for the project team: directing office furniture from the former Duke Energy corporate headquarters toward new life in the community.

The result? An estimated 576 tons of furniture and equipment were successfully diverted from landfills during the project’s preconstruction phase – equivalent to the weight of approximately 281 average-sized cars¹, enough to fill over half of the project’s intended 499-car parking structure. Of this total, 142,124 pounds went directly to local nonprofit organizations, with a combined value of nearly $300,000.

The donation effort, coordinated through SHARE Charlotte's network of nonprofits, included office chairs, floor-to-ceiling partitions, desks, conference tables, filing cabinets, shelving units and kitchen equipment. Organizations were selected based on their ability to work within the construction schedule and their demonstrated need for office furnishings.

"The SHARE Charlotte nonprofit organizations are heavy-hitters with tremendous significance in our North Carolina communities," said Elizabeth Bowen, Director – Sustainability with Asana Partners. "Each one showed impressive ingenuity and thoughtful stewardship as they expanded how the donations could be used. It’s been our honor to partner with them on this project."

Community Impact Stories

The furniture donations created ripple effects throughout the Charlotte area nonprofit community and beyond.

• The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina furnished six new offices in their Raleigh branch with the 34,642 pounds of furniture they received. By offsetting administrative costs, the donation allowed them to allocate more resources to community food programs.
• Supportive Housing Communities used 1,700 pounds of donated furniture to refresh common areas at a supportive housing complex – spaces where residents share conversations, holidays and meals.
• Books on the House expanded their book storage capacity sixfold with the 1,760+ pounds of shelving systems they received, eliminating the need for a larger rental facility.
• Carolina Youth Coalition launched a second Charlotte location with help from the furniture donation, now serving 70 high school students with academic support, college readiness, career exploration, mentorship and financial literacy programs.
• Beds for Kids provided kitchen tables and chairs to 200-250 local families while furnishing a new on-site health clinic at an affordable housing development.

"Managing this donation effort reinforces Balfour Beatty’s commitment to sustainability in our construction practices," explains Beth Davis, Balfour Beatty project executive in Charlotte, who coordinated the furniture donations. "Seeing firsthand how our waste diversion efforts directly supported organizations making a difference in our community was incredibly rewarding. It's a perfect example of how thoughtful planning during the preconstruction phase can create lasting positive impact."

Sustainability by Design

The furniture donation initiative aligns with the broader sustainability goals of the Brooklyn & Church adaptive reuse project. Other aspects include preserving the original building's core and shell and reducing embodied carbon by avoiding the manufacturing, transportation and installation of entirely new materials. The development is pursuing LEED for Multifamily and Energy Star certification, targeting energy efficiency that will reduce operational carbon emissions throughout the building's useful life.

As North Carolina's first office-to-retail and multifamily conversion project, Brooklyn & Church demonstrates innovative adaptive reuse. The furniture waste diversion effort supports the project's construction waste management goal of recycling at least 90% of materials by weight.

"The positive response from nonprofits building capacity to serve our regional community has been heartwarming," notes Bowen. "This initiative showed us new ways to strengthen our ties with organizations doing incredible work in Charlotte."

Building Sustainable Communities

For Balfour Beatty and Asana Partners, the Brooklyn & Church furniture donation operation represents more than waste diversion – it's about building stronger, more sustainable communities. The partnership created opportunities for both companies to connect with nonprofit organizations making a positive daily impact across North Carolina.

Once complete, Brooklyn & Church will stand as a model for sustainable adaptive reuse development, having demonstrated that environmental responsibility and community engagement can work hand in hand. The project proves that with early planning and collaborative partnerships, construction projects can become catalysts for positive community change – one donated desk, one supported nonprofit and one strengthened community relationship at a time.