Residential architecture in Downtown Dallas
The Parc on Jackson is a seven-story residential complex with 182 apartments located near Downtown Dallas, across from Harwood Park and close to the Dallas Farmers Market. The building sits within a protected historic district defined by architecturally significant structures, a setting that directly influenced both the design approach and the selection of exterior materials.
Designed by 5G Studio Collaborative, with Yen Ong serving as lead architect, the building follows a contemporary composition grounded in the principles of modern architecture. Its clean lines, carefully organized openings, and interplay between projecting and recessed volumes create a distinctly current expression while remaining closely connected to the architectural character of its surroundings.
The project was also developed over an existing structure. The site already included a parking facility with two levels above grade and seven below-ground levels. The two upper levels were converted to accommodate residences, amenities, and shared spaces, while the five new residential floors were added above the third level.
This condition required the existing podium to be reinforced and the facade to be coordinated with structural supports positioned at varying depths. The exterior cladding therefore had to respond not only to the architectural intent, but also to the technical demands of a structure that combines existing and newly built elements.
We needed to find a durable, elegant, and minimalist facade material that has the aesthetic character of the surrounding historic buildings of the landmark district within which this building is located.”
Neolith Just White as the defining material of the main facades
Neolith Just White was applied across the building’s three primary facades, covering approximately 700 square meters. Its use is concentrated on the elevations most visible from the public realm, where the design team wanted to introduce premium materials capable of strengthening the building’s presence within the district.
The material clads the large frame on the main facade, the entire west elevation, approximately half of the east elevation, and the entrance portico. In selected areas, Neolith Just White is paired with darker cladding, creating contrast between the building’s volumes and emphasizing the depth of the recessed areas.
Rather than acting as a neutral backdrop, Neolith serves as the material that frames and organizes the rest of the facade. Its placement draws attention to the building’s most prominent areas and enhances the visual impact of the adjacent materials, giving greater prominence to the public-facing elevations.
“Neolith was used primarily as the feature material that frames other more commonplace materials. Its usage has the effect of elevating the adjacent materials.”
Its stone-like appearance helps connect the project’s contemporary architecture with the material character of the nearby historic buildings without directly reproducing their architectural language. Neolith Just White introduces a clear, understated surface that suits the modern composition while providing the material presence required by such a sensitive urban setting.
Frames that add depth to the facade
One of the building’s most recognizable features is the series of large Neolith-clad frames that articulate the facade and frame the terraces across several levels. These elements project from the main facade plane, creating a continuous composition of horizontal and vertical lines that adds depth and volume to the building.
Neolith is not applied to each terrace as an isolated element. Instead, the material defines large-scale frames that extend across and connect multiple levels, reinforcing the architectural reading of the facade and giving greater prominence to the recessed terrace areas.
Executing these elements required careful resolution of the different returns and intersections, with Neolith extending from the front faces around the sides and interior surfaces of the frames. This gives the frames greater thickness and depth, allowing them to read as substantial architectural elements rather than as a simple surface treatment.
Custom-fabricated panels made it possible to adapt each piece to the different dimensions, lengths, and orientations of the facade, coordinating the joints with the window frames, balconies, and changes in material. This planning helped maintain the visual continuity of the large frames and achieve a clean, orderly composition.
The contrast between the light Neolith surfaces and the darker elements further enhances the sense of depth. The terraces appear visually recessed from the exterior plane, while the Neolith-clad frames project forward and structure the facade, becoming one of its defining architectural features.
An entrance that breaks the horizontal rhythm
At ground level, Neolith Just White extends across the front face, columns, and underside of the entrance portico. This continuous band wraps around both the main entry and the adjacent glazed areas, clearly defining the building’s most public zone.
The underside of the portico is not completely horizontal. It incorporates subtle changes in angle that create a gentle “V” at certain junctions and interrupt the dominant horizontal direction of the facade. These folds guide the approach toward the entrance and are particularly visible in the arrangement of the panel joints.
Installing the cladding in this area required an auxiliary steel substructure capable of reproducing the intended slopes and providing a suitable base for the panels. The custom-made pieces were adapted to the transitions between the underside planes, front faces, and columns, maintaining alignment across the different surfaces.
The result is an entrance that is easy to identify from the street, with Neolith helping to mark the shift in scale between the building’s base and the residential floors above.
Two thicknesses for different levels of exposure
The Neolith specification was adapted to the level of exposure in each area. On the upper floors, 6 mm panels were installed, with their lower weight helping reduce the loads transferred to the substructure. This was especially relevant in a wood-framed residential building constructed over an existing podium.
At ground level, 12 mm panels were used. Their greater thickness responds to the proximity of these surfaces to entrances, pedestrian routes, and areas of higher activity, where there is a greater risk of impact or accidental contact.
“Neolith is a beautiful material that has the stone-like appearance and is easy to install within a high-performance building envelope system without adding any significant loads to the wood-framed residential building.”
The use of both thicknesses allows the cladding to respond to the requirements of each level without creating visible differences in the finish. Neolith Just White maintains a consistent appearance across the facade, while the technical solution changes according to location and use.
The Strongfix system for a facade with variable support conditions and geometries
The panels were installed as part of a ventilated facade using the Neolith Strongfix system, a concealed fixing solution that resolves the cladding through an aluminum profile substructure. Profiles attached to the back of the slabs rest on horizontal profiles connected to a vertical aluminum structure.
Because the anchors remain hidden, they do not interrupt the exterior surface. This was especially important around the frames, their numerous returns, and the entrance portico, where maintaining a clean, continuous surface helped preserve the visual reading of the facade’s different planes and intersections.
The main feature of Strongfix at The Parc on Jackson was its ability to adapt to the different support conditions present across the facade. The system was installed over elements of the existing structure as well as the structure corresponding to the new residential levels, accommodating the varying positions and depths of the cladding plane. At the underside of the entrance portico, the substructure was also connected to an auxiliary steel structure designed to reproduce its geometry and changes in angle.
Brackets of different sizes were used to accommodate the varying distances between the structural support and the exterior plane. This configuration made it possible to adjust the position of the aluminum profiles and adapt the system to the different depths of the building envelope, keeping the cladding aligned with the plane defined in the project design.
The system also allows individual panels to be removed and replaced, which is a practical advantage for future maintenance on a facade composed of multiple formats and areas with different access conditions.
Durability and low maintenance in a historic setting
Neolith was also selected to provide a durable, low-maintenance cladding solution over the long term. In a historic district, preserving the quality of the most visible facades is particularly important, as the way the material ages has a direct impact on how the building continues to fit within its urban context.
Its low-maintenance requirements help preserve the quality of the cladding without placing a significant operational burden on the owner. For 5G Studio Collaborative, this combination of durability, performance, and economic feasibility was essential to meeting the demands of the project.
“Neolith was the highlight facade material for the project and was the one selection that made the project economically viable while still satisfying the requirements of building within a historic landmark district in downtown Dallas”.
At The Parc on Jackson, Neolith Just White addresses several challenges at once: connecting contemporary residential architecture with a historic setting, giving greater prominence to the main facades, adapting to a singular structural condition, and resolving elements such as frames, returns, changes in depth, and angled planes.
The combination of custom-made panels, differentiated thicknesses, and the Strongfix system allows the cladding to respond to the specific demands of each area. Neolith defines the building’s most representative features and strengthens its presence within the urban landscape of Downtown Dallas.
Technical sheet
Project name: The Parc on Jackson
Location: 2013 Jackson Street, Dallas, Texas
Project type: Residential complex
Neolith surface area: 700 square meters
Architecture: 5G Studio Collaborative
Installation system: Strongfix.
Neolith material: Neolith Just White
Owner: Centurion American Development Group.
General contractor: Cerris Builders
Completion year: 2026
Photography: Rodolfo Benítez
