A recent Harvard Business Review article revealed that office utilization peaks at 42% on any day, forcing an overhaul of how efficient spaces are designed. As work has become more 24/7, digital and flexible, an increasing number of companies have invested in office spaces that consider employee needs beyond a simple cubicle space, transforming office culture into campus culture.

These campuses, like their academic counterparts, centralize life and work needs. Just as a university places eateries, libraries, gyms and retail within a microcosm of the students' world, corporate campuses aim to do the same for employees. Companies want to encourage their teams to work longer and have embraced the facilities necessary to keep them fed, fit and functional, without having to leave the office.

And forget Silicon Valley; some of the best examples of the trend are in Plano.

Plano has been ranked one of the best places to live in the United States, with access to world-class shopping, education and amenities. Legacy Central, the latest example of this workplace paradigm shift, concentrates those highlights into its own state-of-the-art campus.

With proximity to major global corporations, the campus maintains a competitive business climate, while still offering an atmosphere favorable to the needs of the Millennial workforce. The 1M SF lifestyle corporate campus, developed by Regent Properties, has invested $90M into renovating the mixed-use campus. “Our goal with Legacy Central is to create a live, work and play environment that will allow top employers to attract and retain the very best talent,” said Matthew Benbassat, EVP of Regent Properties.

Located 20 miles from Downtown Dallas and only minutes from Legacy Town Center, Legacy Central offers a contemporary, urban space that eschews vertical construction for a sprawling indoor/outdoor facility. The design also favors central spaces, promoting the kind of spontaneous conversations that lead to company innovation and increased workflow.

From outdoor lounges and coffee bars that encourage walking across buildings to a focus on multiple meeting spaces, communication has proven more productive than isolated heads-down work. The openness of the Legacy Central complex, which boasts four office buildings each with over 200k SF, aids in these spontaneous encounters and exploration. A hotel, a 25k SF fitness facility, a 10k SF conference center and on-site residences make the development a community in its own right.

Legacy Central also emphasizes outdoor space. Employees are not stuck inside; the property will feature walking trails, fire pits and a central green space perfect for outdoor meetings. Co-workers can grab lunch without leaving campus at The District, which is an indoor/outdoor food hall, with numerous shops, coffee kiosks and food trucks peppered throughout the development — and unlike the great outdoors, there's WiFi everywhere. With the portability smartphones and other modern devices provide, desks have become a ball and chain. Legacy Central recognizes this and aims to give people the breathing room to think and develop better ideas.

In creating a seamless blend between lifestyle and productivity, campuses like the one developed by Regent Properties are breaking the cycle of the dull cubicle job and keeping employees refreshed, engaged and inspired. No longer is there a need to escape the office, when the office has become the escape itself.

For leasing information, contact Nathan Durham or Duane Henley at Transwestern.