Ayers Saint Gross is collaborating with Wexford Science and Technology, Atrium Health, and Wake Forest School of Medicine to create The Pearl, a dynamic mixed-use innovation district in Charlotte, North Carolina. The district is anchored by a 393,000 SF academic building, home to the second location of Wake Forest School of Medicine and the city’s first four-year medical school.

The master plan weaves the new community into the fabric of the city and centers itself around the prominent academic anchor building which is connected to a new 330,000 SF research facility. At the heart of the district lies a spacious public plaza, a central hub where students, faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs, visitors, and the local community can gather.

New multi-modal streets, lined with active ground-floor uses, link the district to adjacent neighborhoods and key destinations. In addition to this first phase, proposed future development includes multiple research towers, residential buildings, a hotel, and retail space. The Pearl occupies a key location at the edge of Uptown Charlotte with opportunities to improve broader civic, economic, and social connections.