The Sinclair

After the pandemic, demand for office space shifted, and many large office buildings were planned for conversions into other types of spaces. One example is the $300 million dollar renovation that transformed the Energy Plaza office tower in downtown Dallas, former headquarters for ARCO Oil and Gas, into a mix of luxury apartment residences and upgraded office spaces.  

To set the tone for the newly transformed space, now dubbed The Sinclair, building owner Shawn Todd and HKS Architect hired landscape architect SWA and OTL to create an impressive water feature at the circular driveway entrance to the building. 

Idea  

Todd had a specific iconic water feature in mind: the one he’d frequently admired at the Hotel Connaught, a five-star hotel in the fashionable Mayfair District of London. To ensure they properly captured every important detail of the London fountain, OTL and SWA traveled across the pond to see the original inspiration in person.  

The decision was made to create The Sinclair’s basin in a circular shape, rather than the Hotel Connaught’s oval, and to feature one large tree instead of two. Glass block circles would make up the surface so that the water could plane over the top and sheet down the sides without breaking on the edge.  

One complexity the team had to overcome was the placement of the water feature; it needed to be built above the building’s parking structure, at street level. OTL used computer-generated models to sort out placement and operation of the stainless-steel distribution troughs the fountain required, as well as the below-deck surge tank.  

To get the lighting just right, the team also created multiple mockups of the fiber optics lighting underneath the glass blocks. To achieve the desired effect, the team then adjusted the light levels and frosted the glass blocks in concentric rings, so that the pathways and patterns the architect planned would appear correctly off the exposed glass.   

Midway through construction, the large specimen Magnolia tree was delivered and needed to be planted before the final phase of construction could be completed. Complications arose when a large specimen Magnolia tree was delivered midway through construction, and the team had to coordinate around its planting.  

The end result is a stunning and impressive welcome to the newly reimagined space, an elevated 26-foot elevated fountain featuring 714 hand-placed glass blocks, fiber optic lighting, and a fog system that creates a serene mist around a towering magnolia tree. At night, ribbons of light in various geometric forms create an elegant and intriguing effect. Day or night, this dazzling water feature creates an extraordinary first impression for both residents and guests of The Sinclair.   

Impact  

The completion of the water feature at The Sinclair sets the tone for this elegant transformation from what was once Energy Plaza into a thriving and posh new luxury residence and office space. The fountain is just one of the best-in-class amenities that residents of The Sinclair can enjoy, along with curbside valet and concierge service, a resident library and a full-service pool terrace and restaurant.  

With the OTL project team’s commitment to the complex construction process and incredible attention to detail, what started as a vision from a far-off inspiration became a beautiful reality.