The Big 12 Conference plans to move its headquarters in North Texas this fall, but that won't be too far away.
The University Athletic Conference plans to move its operations to Williams Square, a little more than a mile away from its current location at 400 East John Carpenter Freeway in Irving.
The Big 12 will lease 14,107 square feet in a Class A building in the Williams Square high-rise complex.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the move to Williams Square is justified given the growth of the conference and its staff.
In 2024, the conference will have 16 teams. This year's Southeastern Conference will have Texas and Oklahoma starting, but Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Baylor, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia.
Williams Square, located in Irving's Las Colinas neighborhood overlooking Lake Carolyn, has recently undergone renovations within its 1.4 million square feet. Updates to the three building developments brought new lobby areas, tenant lounges, and expansive outdoor spaces, contributing to increased occupancy at the landmark properties. Last year, Williams Square opened a dining and meeting space called the Constellation Club as an additional amenity in the renovated tower.
Travis Booth and Cynthia Cowen of Cushman & Wakefield represented the Big 12 in the lease at 5215 N. O'Connor Blvd. Bill Brokaw and Karch Schreiner of Hillwood Urban collaborated on the ownership partnership between Apollo Global, Vanderbilt Office Properties and Hillwood Urban.
The conference will feature companies such as Caterpillar, Accenture and Flowserve in Williams Square.
The Big 12 hired Cushman & Wakefield to find a buyer for its headquarters building along the John Carpenter Freeway.
The meetings have been held in a roughly 14,000-square-foot building since 2006, moving from an address along the North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, according to county records.
The Big 12 was created in 1996 by merging the Big 8 Conference and a majority of the Southwest Conference.
