Inside some of Charlotte's coolest new offices

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Business Journal's Heavy Hitters Commercial Real Estate Awards turns a spotlight on the past year's top developments in the region.

An awards celebration in October — hosted at The Westin Charlotte hotel uptown and headlined by Pillar Award honoree Bob Bertges, who was the collaborative catalyst behind the creation of the cultural campus on South Tryon Street uptown — recognized 30 local real estate developments across several categories, ranging from corporate office buildings to amenity-rich multifamily communities to health-care facilities, retail centers and hospitality-focused establishments.

[A closer look at how Charlotte's development boom has increased]

Those developments, along with the key players who made them happen, were also featured in a special report published last month.

In the office buildout category, Duke Energy Corp.'s Innovation Center space at Optimist Hall took the top honor. The Charlotte-based utility giant has more than 400 employees working at its newest and hippest office, tucked into a turn-of-the-century textile mill that's been renovated for a range of uses.

Check out this photo gallery for a look inside Duke's digs as well as the finalist projects in the office buildout category.

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