Uber Technologies Inc. is nearly ready to Uber to its new site in Dallas.
Later this month, the first employees will arrive at the new building overlooking downtown Dallas – and should reach 400 by the end of the year. Eventually, Uber is set to reach 3,000 at the site, which will later add a second office tower.
The initial floors for Uber feature modern, Silicon Valley-esque touches. There’s a foosball table, a commissary prepped for drafts and nearby tables with board games that include Clue, Scrabble and Battleship. There’s a casual feel that’s meant to prompt cooperation and creativity.
“For Uber, we like the open working environment because it fosters collaboration,” said Travis Considine, spokesperson for the company. “We have a lot of different teams from operations to marketing to finance to business development. So, we do what we call a lot of cross-functional planning.”
The San Francisco company is investing $125 million in total in the coming years for improvements to house its large new hub in Dallas. It’s seen as a key addition to the Dallas community that’s been attracting many office expansions and corporate relocations, thanks to its talent pool, business-friendly reputation and access to transportation.
The new site will include operations for Uber Eats, recruiting, human resources, legal and business development teams. To see photos of Uber’s new Dallas office, click here.
The operation will be at Westdale Real Estate Investment and Management's “The Epic," which includes office, residential, retail and hotel options adjacent to Deep Ellum.
The first office tower has 16 floors and covers more than 280,000 square feet, according to Mary Ann Howell, commercial property manager for Westdale Investment & Management. Uber will be the largest tenant at the building.
Initially, the company will be in a co-working space, and will utilize nearly 50,000 square feet between two floors. In 2020, the company will take down six floors of the first tower at The Epic.
The second building will have more than 470,000 square feet and cover 25 floors. Ground is set to be broken for that structure at the end of this year, Howell said. Completion is set for the third quarter of 2022. Uber is expected to have more than 90 percent of that office tower.
The entrance is modern, while inviting with warm hardwoods, throwback bicycles, plants and books, along with simple renderings of office buildings at other locations around the world – from Helsinki to Austin. A staircase that reaches to the next floor features a lighting arrangement with sleek tubes that are both horizontal and perpendicular to the floor.
The offices feature local flavor as well. Meeting rooms get their name from regional bodies of water such as the Red River, Rio Grande and Nueces.
A fitness room features a bevy of options for the health-minded near a massive deck that includes shade for hot Texas days, trees and grass.
There are larger rooms with rows of chairs and desks for workers – and a smaller meeting area with a refrigerator and several whiteboards for possible brainstorming.
“If you need privacy, you can go into a break-out room, have a private phone call or videoconference with any of our colleagues from around the world,” Considine said.
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