AT&T Discovery District, Dallas

Boldly creating a destination for urban discovery

Innovating at the intersection of technology, media, and culture, AT&T partnered with Gensler to rethink its headquarter's role as a magnetic new public space for Downtown Dallas.

A couple of people walking through a building with a large arched ceiling.

A fountain with water and buildings around it.

A group of people walking around a city.

Challenge

Dallas has been AT&T’s home base since 2008, but its corporate campus and the surrounding area were uninspiring. AT&T aspired to reinvent their HQ as an iconic entertainment destination with interactive spaces and storytelling platforms to heighten brand awareness and connect employees to the local community.

Purpose

To achieve a complete transformation from corporate campus to Dallas landmark, Gensler had to think holistically about how to create belonging, both among AT&T’s diverse talent base and for the community at large.

Experience

The AT&T Discovery District unifies physical and digital environments with a matrix of fully connected experiential platforms embedded into the buildings and landscape.

At the public plaza, surrounded by local restaurants and businesses, visitors experience the nine-story Media Wall and responsive Globe sculpture, a physical representation of the AT&T logo. The lobby, open to employees and the public, is an inspiring floor-to-ceiling fusion of architecture, multimedia content, and technology.

The diverse digital and physical activations deliver an unparalleled experience and a new shared space for employees and Dallas residents.

Impact

11

Average public events per month, 2024

500%

Increase in foot traffic since 2020

49,000

Average visitors per week

A group of people walking under a building with a large glass roof.

A building with a glass wall and a large glass wall with people.

A large building with a large glass ceiling.

Content Strategy & Production

The Discovery District is an ecosystem of seamlessly integrated digital platforms that enable immersive take-over moments of lighting, audio, and creative media. Each element — the Media Wall, Globe sculpture, lobby, trellises, and in-ground lighting — can be activated alone or together.

Gensler worked with AT&T and dozens of world-renowned multimedia creators to curate and produce 45+ hours of custom video that evokes the sense of discovery and AT&T’s transformative impact on people, place, technology, and entertainment.

A group of people sitting around a fountain in a city.

Artwork by Kenneth Robin, Moment Factory, Whatever Co. David McLeod, Sila Sveta, Field.io, Lobster Studio, Universal Everything

Technical Specifications

140k sqft

of fully connected and immersive digital platforms

104 ft. tall

and 90 feet wide media wall, one of the largest in the U.S.

120+ million

LED pixels capable of operating in unison via integrated CMS

48+ hours

of bespoke, artistic content we helped concept, design, and integrate

To allow for a unified storytelling experience with regularly refreshed digital content, Gensler built a CMS and custom visualization engine that ensures cohesion across the diverse array of surfaces.

Services Provided

Architectural Design
Brand Strategy
Content Strategy & Production
Digital Experience Design
Software Development
Urban Planning & Design

Awards & Recognition

AV Magazine, AV Awards, Corporate Project of the Year, Finalist, 2022
Urban Land Institute, ULI Americas Awards for Excellence, Finalist, 2022
Greater Dallas Planning Council, Urban Design Awards, Built Project Winner, 2021
International Design Awards, Interior Design or Commercial Category, Silver, 2020
Dallas Business Journal, Best of Real Estate, Rehab or Reuse Category, Winner, 2019

“The transition from AT&T’s former corporate HQ campus to the new public-facing AT&T Discovery District was truly transformative in every sense of the word. Gensler led the project from inception through the entire design/build process.”

– Roger Ferris, Director, Experience Design, AT&T