Park Place Corporate

Corporate campus united by new central plaza with 20-foot waterfall

Composed of eight buildings with area totaling more than 1.9 million square feet, Park Place is an expansive corporate campus that received a master plan overhaul and a landscape renovation over the entire 100-acre site. The LEED Gold-certified project features a new centralized entry plaza, rebranded façades and a highly diverse palette of trees, plants and hardscape.

Formerly the Fluor Corporation headquarters, the existing 1990s buildings came with a clean, contemporary look but were disconnected due to vast open spaces in between. The main concourse was only accessible to pedestrians. Using a lightweight geo-synthetic fill, the design team engineered a vehicular ramping system structured over the top of the existing concourse. Where the concourse divided the site, the rooftop plaza deck now connects the adjacent offices, increases vehicular connectivity and creates a much-needed sense of arrival.

The new parking plaza is surfaced with decorative pavings that double as pedestrian walkways. The center of the plaza remains hollowed out in the form of a vast circular outdoor space set at the concourse’s original grade. A playful serpentine ramp connects the two levels. At the top of the ramp, a drum-shaped waterfall spills a 20-foot cascade of water into a calm reflecting pool. Accessed off the lower plaza with windows facing the fountain, the subterranean Market Café includes a 400-seat dining area and features exposed waffle-deck ceilings from the original structure.

The first phase replaced more than three acres of turf with native and drought-tolerant groundcover and trees, resulting in a savings of more than 4.3 million gallons of water per year. As part of the progressive stormwater management plan, permeable concrete pavers decrease surface runoff and planted bioswales help filter contaminants.

From the start, the owner/architect team recognized the mixed-use site held great potential, but it needed to be updated and reimaged using sustainability as the guiding principle. By embracing forward-thinking, energy-conscious strategies, Park Place sends a strong message that sustainable design is both good for the environment and good for business.