The e-commerce boom of the past two years spurred many brick-and-mortar store chains to experiment with new ways to engage with in-person shoppers. Office buildings — whether they are in a competitive leasing environment or working to attract wary employees back to their desks after the pandemic — likewise are trying to create something not always associated with the workplace: fun.

“Just as the retail industry had to adjust and innovate, office owners are doing the same,” said Kim Butler, executive vice president of leasing at Texas-based commercial real estate owner, developer and manager HALL Group. “It’s not just about the amenities; it’s about creating an experience for the employees during their day at work.”

HALL Group is emphasizing the tenant experience at its newest office building under construction: The Tower at HALL Park in Frisco, Texas. The 16-story office tower will boast a corporate lounge, a fitness center, meeting spaces to accommodate up to 238 people, two outdoor rooftop amenity decks, ground-level restaurants and retail overlooking a new, nearly 6-acre park, and an adjacent 154-room boutique hotel.

HALL Group is pursuing campuswide Fitwel certification and LEED Gold certification for the 386K SF office building, which is scheduled to open in fall 2023. Rena Padachy, vice president of leasing at HALL Group, said health and wellness are top priorities at the new building, with automatic main entry doors, touchless faucets in all bathrooms and destination-based elevator controls.

The Tower will use MERV 13 filtration and bipolar ionization technology to improve indoor air quality. The Tower's Wired Platinum certification also indicates it provides the best digital connectivity and smart technology in the office space, Padachy said.

Jeremy Arianpour, vice president and project designer for architecture firm HKS Inc., said the overarching goal for The Tower at HALL Park is to create “a more hospitality-focused approach than what is seen in a traditional office tower.”

Arianpour said HKS and HALL Group also set out to create diverse workspaces for users both inside and immediately outside of the new building.

“Each office floor includes two balconies where users can take in views of the park and hold small meetings with access to natural light and fresh air,” he said. “A corporate lounge opens up to an outdoor terrace with a shaded community island and numerous seating options.”

But as Butler pointed out, a single building’s amenities alone aren’t enough to create a true experience. HALL Park's existing 162-acre, 15-building office campus in Frisco boasts many other features that she said engage and delight tenants and visitors.

“An experiential approach is embedded in the DNA of the park itself,” Arianpour said.

More than 30% of the soon-to-be Fitwel-certified office park is dedicated to green space, including lakes and 3 miles of jogging and walking trails. The campus displays more than 200 pieces of art, including the largest private outdoor collection of contemporary sculptures by Texas artists made available to the public.

In addition to the new office tower, future plans include a programmed community park similar in design and intent to Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. It will feature a dynamic art installation by world-renowned sculptor and fiber artist Janet Echelman, open lawn spaces, a performance venue, a dog park, a children’s playground, technology pods for work or study, and pickleball courts.

The Tower’s planned neighbors include 60 fully furnished corporate living suites, a 214-unit residential high-rise for lease, the boutique hotel and a 10K SF food hall. A future performing arts center at HALL Park, in partnership with the city of Frisco and Frisco Independent School District, will seat at least 1,250 people.

“You simply cannot create this sort of experience for tenants without a mixed-use approach,” Butler said. “Walkability and highly amenitized office environments that also provide a cool, fun and unique experience have become increasingly important as employers look to recruit and retain employees.”

The pandemic changed people’s priorities, but HALL has been thinking about tenant engagement since the mid-1990s. That was when ground was broken for what would become today’s 162-acre HALL Park in Frisco, a fast-growing Dallas suburb.

“HALL Park has always had the advantage of having an extensive outdoor environment, and we’ve continued to add work-friendly outdoor spaces for people to enjoy,” said Brad Gibson, vice president of leasing at HALL Group. “We’ve always sought to provide multiple spaces for tenants to work outside of the confines of their office space, and our newest additions, including The Tower, will take it to a whole new level.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and HALL Group. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.