The Richards Group

The Richards Group

Dallas, Texas
Culture is Key

When Stan Richards, known for his egalitarian leadership style, approached us about designing The Richards Group’s new headquarters, he made it clear the goal was to preserve and transport the company’s egalitarian culture.

Keeping with the spirit of a class-free workplace, our response was to design a transparent, open work environment that offers employees endless opportunities for creative collaboration. Each idea was evaluated on only two criteria—how it enhanced the quality of space or the quality of their culture.

We responded with a design that celebrates a corporate culture unique to the largest independent advertising agency in North America.

Reinforcing Culture

Central to the building design is a three-story stairwell atrium that encourages physical activity and allows the company to continue its long-standing tradition of “Stairwell Meetings”, the gathering of some 700 employees for important announcements and introductions.

People Working in 3 story atrium
Saying “hi” is an important part of the culture.
In order to allow for these serendipitous interactions we designed the building with an off-set elevator core, providing employees full views across the office.
 A highly transparent glass skin allows dramatic changes from day to night as the people and colors are put on display.
Inside, “communities” of open work stations encourage collaboration among co-mingled teams.
Egalitarianism

Keeping with the spirit of egalitarianism, all support spaces benefit from placement along the exterior walls and the abundance of light and views. The top floor houses the employee fitness-center where you can break a sweat in a Spin class with Stan Richards himself.

"I'm thrilled. I expected a lot. It has surpassed my expectations."

–Stan Richards

Project Team

People
Ron Stelmarski
People
Gardner Vass
People
John Strasius