A workplace becomes more powerful when it’s treated as a living system—shaped by employee voice, evolving routines, and a design process that values adaptability as much as aesthetics.
Project Snapshot:
- Design Firm & Client: DLR Group
- Completion Date: January 1, 2024
- Location: Dallas, Texas
- Size: 12,000-SF
DLR Group’s Dallas studio embraces the creative spirit of its new home in Deep Ellum, the city’s historic arts and innovation district. Occupying 12,000 square feet on the 26th floor of The Epic II tower, the space was designed in-house by the firm’s workplace team with input from every local employee. The result is an industrial-modern environment that celebrates authenticity, fosters collaboration, and reflects DLR Group’s belief in design’s power to elevate the human experience.
As a first-generation space, the studio exposes the raw beauty of its concrete structure while showcasing new mechanical systems as integral design features. A custom lighting framework defines the open studio, balancing illumination for focus and collaboration while creating a glowing horizon that connects the workspace to the building’s structure. Subtle architectural gestures, such as a continuous gypsum “eyebrow” detail above enclosed rooms, unify the interior and express craft through simplicity.
Material honesty guided every decision. Red List-free finishes highlight natural textures such as Texas hickory cabinetry, soapstone surfaces, and saddle-colored leather banquettes that anchor the 214 Café, a lively social hub and alternative workspace. Deep, nature-inspired hues enrich focus rooms and collaborative zones, reinforcing a sense of warmth and place.
The entry experience introduces the Factory, a makerspace and resource center that pays homage to Deep Ellum’s industrial and musical heritage. Custom murals and graphics reference local architecture and Art Deco patterns from nearby Fair Park, connecting past and present creativity.
Open work areas, flexible meeting spaces, and a 95% hot-desking system support hybrid work and spontaneous collaboration. Every design element, from light and texture to flexibility and community, comes together to create a workplace that inspires innovation, connection, and wellbeing.
Project Details & Challenges
The DLR Group Dallas team participated in several workshop sessions, breaking into small groups to chart expectations for the future workplace and establish practices to meet those goals. Teams later reconvened as a unified group to create a final set of expectations and practices that reflected everyone’s voice. During the design phase, Qualtrics gathered quantitative employee insights, while Stylus provided real-time market intelligence and design trend analysis. The firm’s integrated design process platform ensured coordinated collaboration across architecture, interiors, and engineering teams, improving efficiency at all stages of design.
The Dallas Daily Groove, an interactive activity, helped employees collaborate and develop routines to drive success. Working in small groups, participants brainstormed routines tailored to their goals, sharing feedback throughout the process. By encouraging voice and choice, the Daily Groove ensured routines aligned with individual goals while fostering ownership and collective insight across the team. The activity helped participants identify and solidify practices for sustained success while promoting engagement and team cohesion. To incorporate new voices and adapt to the evolving studio, recurring Daily Groove happy hours are held twice a year. All routines are displayed on large posters for employees to add “I like…” and “I wonder…” statements, sparking discussion and refinement.
DLR Group Dallas team embraced positive change when transitioning into the new environment. The BOLD services team guided the change management process, helping participants evolve both cultural expectations and daily routines. This collaborative approach fostered a more adaptive, cohesive, and forward-thinking workplace, positioning the team for long-term success, engagement, and alignment with future challenges.
All BOLD and workplace strategy sessions occurred during the pre-design through schematic design phases, allowing the project team to integrate the cultural and functional needs of the diverse staff into every aspect of the new DLR Group Dallas studio.
Key Products
- All open studio and phone room desks:
- All open studio and resource workroom carpet tile:
- Leather at all café booths, banquettes and stools:
Tech Solutions
Technology-driven workplace solutions enhance flexibility and connectivity. Employees use universal docking stations and large-format curved monitors for plug-and-play access at all work zones and meeting spaces. Solstice wireless A/V systems, independent of proprietary platforms, enable frictionless presentations for employees, clients, and guests. Digital room schedulers optimize workspace utilization by streamlining reservations for phone booths and meeting rooms. Interactive design collaboration is enhanced with portable large-format touch screens, stylus capabilities, and VR headsets, allowing teams and clients to engage with digital models in real time.
The building itself incorporates advanced electrochromic glass, which automatically adjusts transparency to control glare, reduces solar heat gain, and improves energy efficiency. These innovations increase productivity, enhance user comfort, and reduce operational costs, demonstrating how a tech-forward approach can drive both workplace performance and sustainability. Through integrated IoT-enabled infrastructure, smart collaboration tools, and data-driven insights, DLR Group sets a new benchmark for workplace innovation.
Overall Project Results
Post-occupancy surveys revealed an exceptional 100% employee satisfaction rate, underscoring the success of an adaptive, employee-driven approach to workplace design. Leadership intentionally extended the design dialogue beyond move-in, hosting milestone gatherings where routines and best practices for using the space were posted in the café for review and feedback. The overwhelmingly positive response affirmed both the inclusivity of the process and the flexibility of the new studio to support a growing and diverse design team.
Flexibility for the office space has been demonstrated in real time. When the underutilized “Flow Zone” failed to meet staff needs, it was converted into a more traditional workspace, reflecting the firm’s agile, data-informed approach to continuous improvement. Among the most celebrated spaces is the café, which has emerged as the heart of the studio. Flooded with natural light and expansive views, and outfitted with both built-in and flexible seating, the café functions as a lively, multipurpose hub. It accommodates presentations, team meetings, casual industry gatherings, or designers seeking the energy of a coffee shop atmosphere within the workplace.
Together, these outcomes showcase how intentional workplace design, grounded in engagement, agility, and wellbeing, can drive satisfaction, enhance culture, and elevate everyday productivity.
Main Contributors:
Interior Design, Engineering, Lighting, Acoustics and Experiential Graphics: DLR Group
Contractor: Balfour Beatty
Furniture Dealership: Tangram
Meet the Design Team
Region Leader, and Project Leader: Adam St. Cyr, AIA
Design Leader: Art Bloodworth, RID, IIDA
Engineering Leader: Ben Szela
Interior Design Team: Stephanie Hernandez, Christina DeAmicis & Courtney Gallagher
Lighting and Electrical Engineering: Mark Niechwiadowicz
Mechanical Engineering: Brent Howard
Acoustic Design: Anat Grant
Photography
Images Courtesy of Wade Griffith
