AT&T Discovery District | Studio Outside & Ten Eyck Landscape Architects

AT&T’s redeveloped campus in Downtown Dallas is called the AT&T Discovery District, which has been recently completed. The updated campus is more than the company’s headquarters, it is an immersive experience that brings to life AT&T’s reinvention as a global leader in telecom, media and technology. The campus adds a whole new dimension to Downtown Dallas, integrating AT&T’s corporate offices with incredible amenities for the community that are innovative, safe, walkable, and accessible. 

The one-of-a-kind corporate campus was designed to provide a vibrant urban center for AT&T employees, visitors, and the community to enjoy for daily life, special events, and large civic gatherings. It includes the unimpeded, pedestrian-only Plaza that features beautiful lawns and seating areas mixed in with sensory media experiences. The 104-foot-tall Media Wall wraps around the building, and the 30-foot-tall Globe features interactive light and sound experiences that also function as a stage for performances.  

The campus sits across five blocks and connects five distinct buildings that make-up AT&T’s corporate offices. Because each building was built in different time periods, it was essential to design The Plaza to connect everything. The redeveloped campus is designed to seamlessly blend a variety of buildings and spaces into one cohesive district. The materials used across the Plaza were carefully selected to reflect the variety of materials of each building, creating a sense of connection, collaboration, and cohesion.

Studio Outside’s approach was to unify the existing campus by developing a connective open space defined by a unified granite paving system, naturalized plant materials, a thoughtful activated lighting plan and spectacular fountains.

“Our team is really proud to be part of this unique urban campus project. It has really become a point of civic pride for Dallasites to have a global leader like AT&T located here and contribute such an amazing, new district for the community to experience and be part of,” said Kent Mendenhall, principal at Studio Outside. “AT&T and Gensler challenged us to help create a cohesive environment that would spark human connection and also celebrate the incredible technology and media installed at the plaza. We made sure to create spaces of varying sizes to account for an array of gatherings and outdoor activations including screenings, concerts, art installations, and everyday collaboration and dining.” 

One of Studio Outside’s key areas of expertise is working with municipalities in collaborative public-private partnerships to re-envision public spaces and create new infrastructure solutions that benefit the client as well as the community at large. 

The campus also has a focus on sustainability including leading-edge water and tree conservation systems. It is SITES Silver landscape, a comprehensive rating system designed to distinguish innovative, sustainable landscapes.

AT&T Discovery District

The Design Team includes:

Landscape Architecture: Studio Outside and Ten Eyck Landscape Architects

Architecture: Gensler Dallas
Lighting Design: Paul Helms Design Consultants
Fountain Design: Fluidity
Civil Engineer: Kimley Horn

To learn more about AT&T Discovery District, please visit: https://discoverydistrict.att.com/

Photography: Parrish Velasco & John Barker

Plan Images: Studio Outside

About Damian Holmes 3253 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/