Swinerton Tops Out on $111M Multifamily Development in Charlotte

Swinerton Builders announced the topping out of Cordo, an $111 million multifamily development in Charlotte’s Optimist Park and the construction firm’s fifth collaboration with Space Craft. Just blocks from Joinery and Oxbow, also developed by Space Craft and built by Swinerton, Cordo is designed to be a walkable, transit-friendly community for active families and young professionals. The hybrid-structure broke ground last fall and is expected to be ready for occupancy by summer 2027.

Built on a 1.7-acre site in Charlotte’s Optimist Park community, Cordo totals seven floors with 1,200 square feet of street-level retail just steps from Cordelia Park, Optimist Hall and LYNX Blue Line light rail access. The 325,000-square foot development features 287 studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units and offers premium amenities including a rooftop terrace, resident lounge/game room with a full kitchen, meeting and coworking spaces, outdoor courtyard and fitness and wellness areas, in addition to resident services including shared EVs, e-bikes and e-scooters built into monthly rent, keyless access control and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the building. Mass timber brings a biophilic element into each residence with cross-laminated timber decks creating exposed timber ceilings.

For Cordo, Timberlab prefabricated approximately 50,000 linear feet of wood wall framing and 185,000 square feet of CLT using responsibly sourced pine, spruce and fir and prefabricated the materials in its Greenville, South Carolina facility. In addition, approximately 125,000 square feet of concrete and metal stud-framed construction completes this build.

In addition to its general contractor and construction manager duties, Swinerton also oversees Cordo’s design-build mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems and played an integral role in preconstruction and estimating to ensure a cost-effective build. The firm’s master builders are self-performing wood framing, drywall, carpentry, doors, finishes and hardware and specialty work.

During construction, Swinerton is relying on its full suite of technologies for the most efficient and precise results, including OpenSpace, a 3-D imaging technology that collects data via helmet devices during walk-throughs to build exact models of the space for planning and reference. The company is also using Field Materials AI for materials tracking and invoicing and regularly deploys drones for progress photos and visibility.