Gensler
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Overview

Overview

The state’s largest mass timber office building enhances the workplace experience while reducing environmental impact and strengthening connections to nature.

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Opportunity

Climate protection is now a top priority as extreme weather threatens infrastructure worldwide. Businesses are looking for innovative ways to cut carbon footprints in daily operations as a means of derisking real estate investments.

This project demonstrates how climate resilience, carbon reduction, and employee experience can come together in a new model for workplace design. As extreme weather increases pressure on infrastructure and real estate investments, companies are seeking facilities that reduce environmental impact while supporting long-term operational performance. By pairing sustainability with elevated office function and experience, the project reflects where the market is heading toward workplaces that are both lower-carbon and more resilient, without compromising quality or appeal.

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Why This Matters

  1. 01

    Climate-Resilient Workplace Design

    This project positions resilient workplace design as essential to long-term value, helping protect infrastructure, reduce disruption, and support business continuity in a changing climate.

  2. 02

    Sustainability Meets Workplace Experience

    The project integrates sustainability and workplace experience into a high-performance model that reduces environmental impact, protects long-term investment, and creates a desirable, effective workplace.

  3. 03

    Designed to Support Experience

    Sustainability and employee experience go hand in hand, using lower-carbon strategies, healthy materials, daylight, flexibility, and elevated design to support business goals and employee well-being.

The combination of Southstone Yards’ forward-looking design, sought-after amenities, and prime location, along with the reputation of the team that’s bringing it all together, has generated tremendous interest from potential tenants.

Trey SmithCBRE, Executive Vice President

Solution

Workplace that brings climate resilience, carbon reduction, and employee experience together showing that sustainability can strengthen long-term business value while delivering a high-quality, desirable place to work.

Southstone Yards integrates sustainability into the workplace strategy, from resilient infrastructure and lower-carbon materials to daylight, flexibility, and comfort. The result reduces operational risk, protects long-term investment, and creates a high-quality employee experience that supports business performance.

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Related Content

242K

Largest Mass Timber Office in North Texas

Core and shell provides 55% reduction in irrigation

Design to Save Water

3

Surrounding Green Space

From brief to build: creating a healthier, more adaptable workplace where sustainable design, daylight, and flexibility support employee well-being and everyday experience.

The project supports employee well-being by turning sustainability into a better daily workplace experience. Healthy materials help create cleaner, more comfortable interiors, while access to daylight supports a stronger connection to the outdoors and a more inviting work environment. Adaptable spaces give employees choice in how and where they work, supporting focus, collaboration, and flexibility throughout the day. These strategies make the workplace feel more comfortable, responsive, and supportive, helping employees do their best work while reinforcing the company’s broader sustainability and resilience goals.

Mass timber structure
OPEN SPACES TO RELAX
Connected to Nature

Mass Timber Structure

About 80% of the building at The Offices at Southstone Yards is mass timber.

Impact

Prioritizing environmental integration alongside worker health has resulted in a structure replete with fresh air, a fitness center, and outdoor spaces for workers to enjoy.

As one of the largest mass timber structures in the country, the 242,000-square-foot building proudly boasts some of the most environmentally friendly credentials in North Texas. The LEED certified facility has reduced its indoor water waste by 34% and has cut its outdoor water waste in half.

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What Changed Because of This

  1. 01

    Health-Focused Design

    Southstone Yards creates a healthier, more connected workplace with fresh air, outdoor gathering areas, and on-site amenities that support employee well-being and attract talent.

  2. 02

    Mass Timber Innovation

    By expanding its mass timber approach, Southstone Yards shows how lower-impact materials and biophilic design can improve environmental performance while adding long-term market value.

  3. 03

    Strengthening Community Engagement

    Southstone Yards supports sustainable growth by activating outdoor spaces, attracting tenants and workers, and contributing to a more connected district.

The project has been really well received by the tenant community, and the developer and real estate community are going to see this and say, ‘Wow, we all need to take a page from this.’

SCOTT ARMSTRONGpRINCIPAL-IN-CHARGE

Recognition

01

Dallas BUSINESS JOURNAL

Toyota was spotlighted as the new tenant of the office building, with Gensler recognized as co-designer of the project.

02

Bisnow

The project was spotlighted for its mass timber construction, with Gensler recognized as co-designer.

03

ENR TEXAS & SOUTHEAST

Offices at Southstone Yards was recognized for Excellence in Sustainability and received an Award of Merit for Office/Retail/Mixed Use, highlighting Gensler’s mass timber design and approach to reducing embodied carbon.

Team

Project Leadership

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[FPO] Khoi hoang

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[FPO] brandon christian

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[FPO] ashlee richardson

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[FPO] arthur lee

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FAQ

01

Who design this project?

Located in Frisco, Texas, The Offices at Southstone Yards features core and shell design by Duda|Paine, with Gensler serving as architect of record.

02

How does the project improve the workplace experience?

The project creates a healthier, more connected workplace through fresh air, outdoor gathering areas, and on-site amenities that support well-being and talent attraction.

03

What sustainable design strategies are used in the project?

Southstone Yards uses mass timber, lower-impact materials, and biophilic design strategies to improve environmental performance and add long-term value.

04

How does Southstone Yards support the surrounding community?

The project supports the community by activating outdoor spaces, attracting tenants and workers, and contributing to a more connected and vibrant district.

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Related Expertise

Office DevelopersOffice DevelopmentClimate Action & SustainabilityStrategyWellness