Sioux Falls, SD (2025)
You used to have to update your driver’s license, get help finding a job, receive free health and social services, and access many other state services in separate (and usually dingy) buildings. Now you can do it all at Sioux Falls One Stop, a new 284,000 SF building that houses the offices and customer-service functions of twelve state agencies.
The building is broken into three large masses that step up from two stories to four while shrinking in length as the building moves north. Four courtyards – two each on the east and west sides of the building – serve as places for state employees to socialize, have lunch, or just stretch their legs. The courtyards also allow for natural light to penetrate all parts of the building, avoiding the issues that many large office buildings face in their core areas.
To that end, this building provides a sorely needed workplace upgrade for some 600 state employees who previously officed and served the public in dated facilities across the city. You can read a bit more about that and even see some “Before” images here.
In the long game, this building is hopefully a win-win for citizens and employees alike. The good citizens of Sioux Falls can enjoy the convenience of consolidated services (with help from a new Sioux Area Metro bus route for folks without personal vehicles), while state employees can enjoy a nicer place to work. In theory, happier employees = better customer service = happier, healthier citizens.
Photos by Cipher Imaging.
