Best Buy at the Shoppes at Shoal Creek

An intricate scheduling process allowed Needham and Associates and the entire construction team to complete the Best Buy retail store at the Shoppes at Shoal Creek just four months after excavation began. The building’s structural shell and architectural panels were cast and erected in approximately eight weeks, allowing interior trades to begin work inside the building.

The firm also chose to use embeds to the footing rather than dowels to the slab to form base connections, thereby eliminating a timely step in the construction schedule.

Though the big-box store benefited from fast-track Tilt-Up design, it wasn’t lacking in architectural interest, thanks to architectural pilaster panels that were stacked in two to three layers to create depth. Three additional architectural panels—the largest weighing just over 100,000 pounds—were joined to create Best Buy’s trademark blue wedge over the store’s entrance.

To further enhance the high-end look of the structure, 16,600 feet of thin-set brick in three different shades was applied in soldier course, stack bond and running bond patterns to the building’s exterior.