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Hines T3 Partnership building in Minneapolis, a mass timber midrise building illuminated at night
Hines T3 Partnership

Modern Loft Office: Timber, Transit, Technology

Locations

Nine U.S. and International cities

Area

2,500,000 SF+ across multiple projects

Awards

15+ Design Awards

Services

Planning, architecture, public space interior design

Real estate leader Hines knows that the wants and needs of contemporary, technology-rich workers are shifting the way we think about workplace design. Hines connected with us to explore these shifts and conceptualize a response to growing cultural demand for local authenticity, sustainability, and urban and social connectivity. The result is the T3 concept: timber, transit, and technology. Since its inception, Hines has redoubled investment in the T3 line, building on the successes of high-profile anchor tenants, premium lease rates, and record-busting sales prices.

T3 is exemplary of a new asset class that appeals to tenants seeking an authentic, sustainable, yet modern officing experience – with exposed engineered wood columns, beams, and floor that both convey organic warmth and beauty within the workplace environment, and are sustainable, renewable, and structurally predictable.

Additional steel, masonry and accent materials complement the wood to create an authentically tactile work environment evoking classic urban lofts. Modern building systems and technology infrastructure support the current and projected needs of the high-tech workforce.

 

Growing the Program

Eight years after we began work on Hines’ first T3, we have two built projects and seven across America in various stages of design and construction. As with any pioneering building system, each iteration improves on the last.



01
Minneapolis

North Loop

In 2016, when T3 North Loop opened, it became the largest mass timber building in the United States – and the first U.S. multi-story timber office building built in over 100 years. In 2018, with Amazon as an anchor tenant, Hines sold T3 North Loop to LaSalle for the highest per square foot cost in Minneapolis history, well above the average price per square foot in the traditionally more covetable Central Business District. In the heart of Minneapolis’ North Loop warehouse district, the building form and façade bridges the aesthetic of historic warehouses and newer modern neighbors including Target Field. Adjacent to Cedar Lake Bike Trail, commuter rail, light rail, and a pedestrian skyway system, T3 is highly accessible. Open floorplates shatter the myth that timber can’t feel bright and airy. Modern amenities match the program’s ethos: a bike repair and storage facility; a tenant fitness center; a roof deck for outdoor restoration; and ground-floor retail. Modern, clean, energy-efficient systems and technologies aim to reduce the lifecycle carbon footprint and achieve LEED Gold. The first level is a concrete podium; above it are six levels of NLT over glulam frame construction, with a height of 85 feet.

DLR Group worked as Architect of Record in collaboration with Michael Green Architecture.

A distinct advantage to timber construction is reduced construction timelines: 180,000 SF of timber was erected in just 9.5 weeks – an average of one-and-a-half weeks per 30,000-SF floorplate. Video courtesy of Structurecraft.

02
Toronto

Sterling Road

Toronto’s Lower Junction neighborhood has all the hallmarks of an up-and-coming post-industrial revival: on the edge of downtown, abutting a multi-modal trail, within walking distance of several public transit stops, and bubbling with creative energy. T3 Sterling Road echoes the recent T3 West Midtown, with external bracing, generous private balconies, and the juxtaposition of warm wood and blackened steel, along with robust wellness-focused amenities, ground floor retail, and floor-to-ceiling windows that bring natural light deep into the building. The site is master planned for a total of 420,000 SF across three buildings. Phase I includes two buildings totaling 300,000 SF, knit together by a privately-owned public park. Parking is tucked discretely below the park to support the neighborhood’s urban vibe. In Toronto, a concrete podium is not required, allowing timber construction to be enjoyed from the ground floor up to the top of the building – at 108’, Sterling Road is DLR Group’s largest and tallest T3 project. Through Ontario’s alternative compliance path, the project will exceed building code height and story limits for mass timber.

DLR Group worked as Design Architect.

03
Austin

Eastside

The latest iteration of a mass timber building in collaboration with developer Hines looks towards the southern part of the United States where everything is bigger: Texas, and specifically its capital, Austin. East Austin is seeing tremendous redevelopment targeted at a growing younger population. Located within a short walk to Austin’s downtown core and with a transit stop only a few blocks away, T3 Eastside will consist of Class-A timber office and, for the first time in the T3 concept, 15 residential units. These corporate suites will be modern loft-style residences, featuring exposed wood structure and 11-foot clear heights between beams. With the evolution of T3 into the residential space, corporate guests can now experience the comforts of home surrounded by the inviting organic warmth and beauty of the exposed engineered wood components. DLR Group worked as Design Architect, Architect of Record, and Interior Designer.

04
Atlanta

West Midtown

At West Midtown, the T3 model is morphed to match the Atlanta market, climate, and tenant profile. A blackened steel façade and steel bracing harken back to the site’s history as a steel mill. Outdoor space amenities are expanded from a shared roof deck to private outdoor space at every level. The 205,000 SF office building includes 15,000 SF of ground-floor retail space, shared social workspace, a fitness center, rooftop terrace, and 61 below-grade parking spaces. State-of-the-art mechanical systems, enclosure, elevatoring, acoustics and voice & data technology integration marry to the exposed mass timber structural system. In Atlanta, the decision to use DLT over glulam construction was driven by timber’s rapidly evolving supply chain. Attention to detailing at column to beam connections, exposed ducting, and required clearances maximize the material’s aesthetic potential.

DLR Group worked as Architect of Record in collaboration with Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

05
Denver

RiNo

A mile north of Denver’s Central Business District, the River North neighborhood is exploding with creativity, attracting a dynamic mix of artistic and tech-focused residents and businesses. This market condition is ideal for Hines’ T3 asset class. RiNo’s T3 will feature a refined industrial aesthetic that incorporates local art, paying homage to both Denver’s historic brick and timber buildings and to the city’s vibrant arts district. Designed for work/life balance, the office space is complemented by comprehensive amenities including common social areas, large private terraces, fitness, secure bike storage and maintenance, 17,000 square feet of street-level retail suites, and three levels of below-grade parking. While all T3s achieve LEED Gold or higher, RiNo is the first to target WELL certification in addition. Coordination with the City of Denver ensured smooth permitting of a progressive building type that is novel to the Denver market.

DLR Group worked as Architect of Record in collaboration with Pickard Chilton Architects.

06
Nashville

Wedgewood Houston

Located just south of downtown Nashville, Wedgewood-Houston is emerging as a magnet for the creative class. With factories and warehouses converting to a dynamic mix of galleries, bars, and restaurants, and with a new MLS stadium on the way, the neighborhood is an ideal location for the latest T3: a next-generation timber office building, equipped with advanced building systems and technology, modern amenities, and flexible workspace.

The five levels of office space are complemented by a robust amenity package including a fitness center and basketball court, secure bike storage, exclusive private outdoor terraces, and ground level retail connecting to an outdoor public plaza. Close coordination with the City of Nashville for code adherence allowed an extra floor of office space and set the stage for a smooth permitting process.

Part of a larger mixed-use development, The Finery, T3 appeals to tenants seeking an authentic, sustainable, yet modern officing experience.

DLR Group worked as Architect of Record in collaboration with Hastings Architecture.

Hines T3 The Finery Nashville mass timber office building with rows of floor to ceiling windows and large common area rooftop patio
Mass timber office interior, geometric accent pendant lights, biophilia greenery, exposed warm wood, large windows

Firm News

Corner view of building with black exposed steel at front, white ribbed panel, back, exposed mass timber and large windows, greenery
T3 ATX Eastside in Austin, TX. Image © DLR Group.

The Latest

First Class-A Timber Office and Residential Space Debuts in Austin, Texas

January 29, 2024

T3 ATX Eastside’s new mass timber office and residential space offers a modernized and sustainable option for working and living.

Read More

In the Spotlight

Mass Timber

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