VAULT · Architect and GC Shortlist

Doc date: 2026-07-28. Purpose: shortlist and interview architects, general contractors, MEP and structural engineers, and acoustic consultants for the VAULT Charlotte buildout.

Team structure

• Architect of Record (AoR): Charlotte-licensed, hospitality or wellness experience, signs and seals drawings.
• Design Architect (optional): can be same as AoR or a separate design lead if a boutique studio is retained for the interior vision.
• Interior Designer: separate scope if AoR does not carry a strong FF&E and finish design bench.
• Structural Engineer of Record (SEoR): NC-licensed, seals rigging attachments.
• MEP Engineer: NC-licensed, Charlotte-experienced, understands assembly plus wet-zone plus commercial kitchen loads.
• Acoustic Consultant: national or regional, dual-mode studio plus broadcast experience.
• General Contractor: Charlotte-based or Charlotte-office of national, negotiated GMP delivery, open book preferred.

Architects

Little (Little Diversified Architectural Consulting)

• HQ: 615 S College St, Charlotte.
• Studios: Retail, Workplace, Community. Retail practice has premium wellness experience across the Southeast.
• Why: Charlotte-headquartered, strong hospitality plus retail bench, familiar with South End developers and city process.
• Concern: Large firm. Ensure the pitch team is the delivery team.

LS3P

• HQ: 205 W Trade St, Uptown Charlotte plus additional Southeast offices.
• Studios: Hospitality, Mixed-Use, Cultural. LS3P has designed multiple Charlotte mixed-use ground-floor retail conditions.
• Why: Regional Southeast player, strong on adaptive-reuse of mill and warehouse stock.
• Concern: Broad portfolio; boutique wellness may not be the strongest sub-specialty.

Overcash Demmitt Architects

• HQ: 5820 E Independence Blvd, Charlotte.
• Focus: Custom residential plus boutique commercial plus hospitality.
• Why: Best design pedigree in Charlotte for premium residential-adjacent hospitality feel. Track record of restrained material palettes.
• Concern: Smaller firm. Confirm bench depth for a $5M plus buildout.

Gensler Charlotte

• HQ: 227 W Trade St, Uptown Charlotte.
• Studios: Hospitality, Retail, Lifestyle. Gensler’s wellness plus lifestyle portfolio is national.
• Why: National design horsepower with a Charlotte team. Best chance of pushing the broadcast-plus-club dual mode as a design brief.
• Concern: Fee premium. Confirm principal-level attention.

Interior design specialists to consider as design partner

• Meyer Davis (NYC): premium hospitality, wellness. National.
• Cass Calder Smith (SF, NYC): hospitality. National.
• 22 Interiors (LA): boutique wellness. National.
• If retaining a national design partner, pair with a Charlotte AoR (Little or LS3P) to carry local permits.

General Contractors

Rodgers Builders

• Charlotte-based since 1946. Institutional, hospitality, healthcare, and retail experience.
• Why: Deep Charlotte relationships with subs and city inspectors. Reliable on complex MEP.
• Fit: A on execution certainty. B on boutique finish culture.

DPR Construction

• National with Charlotte office. Life sciences, healthcare, corporate. Some hospitality.
• Why: Best-in-class MEP coordination and LEAN construction discipline.
• Fit: A on technical scope (broadcast infrastructure, hospital-grade HVAC). B on premium hospitality finish nuance.

Balfour Beatty US

• Charlotte office. Public and private commercial, healthcare, hospitality.
• Why: Bench depth. Good for a $5M plus buildout without margin drama.
• Fit: B plus. National scale can be an asset or a distraction.

Brasfield & Gorrie

• Southeast regional. Alabama-headquartered with Charlotte presence. Healthcare, hospitality, mixed-use.
• Why: Strong healthcare MEP experience translates directly to hospital-grade HVAC and wet-zone recovery scope.
• Fit: A on technical delivery. Solid track record on Southeast hospitality.

Boutique alternatives (worth interviewing)

• Choate Construction (Charlotte office): mid-sized, hospitality track record, good on finish quality.
• Edifice Inc (Charlotte-based): mid-sized. Strong on interiors.

MEP Engineers

• Optima Engineering (Charlotte-based): mid-sized MEP, strong on hospitality and healthcare. First call.
• RMF Engineering (Southeast, Charlotte office): healthcare-focused MEP, ideal for hospital-grade HVAC and complex plumbing scope.
• ME Engineers (national with Southeast presence): premium sports and wellness portfolio. Interview if broadcast integration needs deeper spec.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): national, deep science and complex MEP. Overkill unless the broadcast production room requires their tier.

Structural Engineers

• Stewart (Raleigh HQ, Charlotte office): NC structural leader.
• SEPI Engineering (NC): solid mid-sized.
• Uzun+Case (Charlotte): design-forward structural, works well with Little and LS3P.

Requirement: seal the rigging grid. Any structural engineer on the shortlist must confirm rigging experience (theatrical, aerial, or industrial hoist rigging) in first interview.

Acoustic Consultants

• Acentech (national, Cambridge MA): premium acoustic and A/V, studio and broadcast experience. First call.
• Threshold Acoustics (Chicago): performing arts plus broadcast. National-caliber tuning.
• Newson Brown Acoustics (LA): entertainment industry acoustics.
• WSDG (Walters-Storyk Design Group, NY): studio-first, broadcast-native. Best-in-class for the dual-mode brief.

WSDG or Acentech is the pick given the broadcast requirement. WSDG is more studio-native; Acentech is more architectural.

Selection criteria (architect)

Selection criteria (GC)

Interview process

Architect

1. Week 1: RFP to top 4. Fee proposal plus 3 case studies plus principal team commitment.
2. Week 2: 60 min interviews. Taj plus Trill plus (broker if landlord alignment matters).
3. Week 3: Studio visit for top 2. Meet delivery team, review current in-progress work.
4. Week 4: Reference calls (5 references per finalist).
5. Week 5: Select and sign AIA B101 or negotiated agreement.

GC

1. Week 6: RFQ (qualifications) to top 5.
2. Week 7: Shortlist to 3 based on qualifications and preconstruction team fit.
3. Week 8: Interview 3, tour recent projects.
4. Week 9: Preconstruction services engagement with top 2 (paid preconstruction, $15K to $30K each).
5. Week 12 to 16: GMP delivery from top 2 after design development.
6. Week 16: Select GMP contract holder, execute negotiated GMP.

Retainer and fee expectations

Architect

• Full A and E fee: 6 to 9 percent of construction cost.
• On a $5M buildout: $300K to $450K architect fee.
• Interior design partner: additional 2 to 4 percent if separate scope.
• Retainer at contract signing: $50K to $75K.

MEP Engineer

• 1.5 to 2.5 percent of construction cost, typically bundled inside architect fee. If contracted direct: $80K to $130K on a $5M buildout.

Structural Engineer

• 0.75 to 1.5 percent of construction cost. On $5M: $40K to $75K.

Acoustic Consultant

• Flat fee $75K to $150K depending on scope. Includes design, tuning, and commissioning.

GC (negotiated GMP)

• Preconstruction: $15K to $30K flat.
• GC fee: 4 to 6 percent of hard cost.
• General conditions: 6 to 9 percent of hard cost.
• Contingency: 5 to 10 percent held by GC, plus 5 to 10 percent held by owner (Taj plus Trill).

Reference call script (architect and GC)

• What was the project name, size, and total construction cost?
• Was the project delivered on schedule? If not, by how much and why?
• How were change orders handled? Ballpark change-order percentage of contract value.
• Was the design intent preserved through construction? Any material substitutions that hurt the outcome?
• Would you retain this firm again? For what scope specifically?
• Who was the principal in charge? Are they still with the firm?

Do not engage

• Any firm without a Charlotte-licensed AoR or NC-licensed engineer.
• Any GC that will not offer open-book GMP or provide subcontractor bid tabulations.
• Any consultant who cannot show a wellness plus broadcast dual-use project.
• Any firm that requires exclusive brand or vendor tie-ups (rigging vendor lock-in, HVAC brand mandates outside project spec).

Cross-ref: 03_BUILD_SPEC.md, 05_MEP_STRUCTURAL_ACOUSTIC.md, 06_BUILDOUT_BUDGET.md.