(AUSTIN, Texas, November 19, 2024) – The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Texas Oklahoma Chapter presented DLR Group with two Design Excellence Awards for Workplace and K-12 Education interior design projects at its annual design awards ceremony on Friday, November 15. T3 ATX Eastside won the Design Excellence award in the Corporate Large Category and Tomball Early Excellence Academy won both the Best in Show and the Early Childhood/K-12 Education Categories.

IIDA Chapter Awards recognize the highest quality and achievement in interior design and honor the creativity and innovation of the best of Texas and Oklahoma designers.

T3 ATX Eastside (Austin, Texas)
Built with a braced mass timber superstructure, T3 ATX Eastside, in collaboration with developer Hines, is the first timber office and residential development in the southern part of the United States. This T3 (Timber, Transit, Technology) is located in East Austin, Texas, which is seeing tremendous redevelopment targeted at a growing younger population, redefining work-life harmony.

Within a short walk to Austin’s downtown core and with a transit stop only a few blocks away, T3 ATX Eastside celebrates the industrial history of the site through a focus on the materiality and refinement of metal and wood. Each facade answers to the surrounding neighborhood in a unique and tailored fashion, grounding the property at a human scale and washing patrons in the warm richness of wood that few modern live-and-work buildings have. Within the material palette layers the exposed timber structure and rich terracotta brick, contrasted by cold rolled steel—authentic materials prevalent in this industrial Austin neighborhood. Bold and colorful art moments commissioned by neighborhood artists further reinforce the project’s connection to its place. 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.

Explore T3 ATX Eastside.

Tomball Early Excellence Academy (Tomball, Texas)
The Early Excellence Academy brings together the youngest minds in Tomball ISD, creating an environment where the joy of learning is prominent for all to see. Wonder and discovery shape the educational experience founded in exploration, investigation, problem solving, and creative imagining. The school itself is a tool for learning, inspiring a love of nature through the interplay of nature between humans and the world around them. Biophilic elements of sea, land, tree, sky, and space evoke curiosity and connection to the natural world.

With a design concept rooted in scale and growth, an immersive experience takes learners through the space. Interior finishes at the district’s first dedicated early childhood learning center are selected specifically for this age group to ensure all learners are afforded equitable learning experiences.

Explore Tomball Early Excellence Academy.

The IIDA works to forward interior design through education with the goal of positively impacting the community. Each year, IIDA honors projects that show excellence in interior design, innovation, and design techniques.

Learn more about our approach to workplace design.

Learn more about our K-12 Education design team.