An adventure, a journey, a re-imagined technology campus like no other. Inspired by the natural beauty surrounding the site, the Connective Journey is a multi-building, adaptive re-use office campus. The project is fully accessible to the neighborhood, sustainably designed, and net zero energy.

There were two essential design goals. The first is re-using existing buildings for both financial and sustainability purposes. The second goal is to create a connected, vibrant campus. Silicon Valley technology companies are fundamentally based on collaboration, which involves connecting people.

Rather than tear the existing buildings down, the design challenge is to create a high level of connectivity using outdoor rooms and elevated walkways. At the same time, this increased connectivity needs to address the issue of the 50-foot grade change across the site.

The rolling hills of west Palo Alto are a natural frame for the steeply graded campus. An elevated path joins the buildings on the same level and creates a free-flowing circulation trail with vertical access through strategic nodes. The walkway becomes a unifying experience as you journey through the campus. The active design allows four outdoor rooms to work as workspace extensions. Landmark canopies provide enhanced entry iconography and serve as the “front porch” over the highly activated outdoor rooms.

Healthy building features include low VOC finishes and furnishings, air filtration and monitoring, green cleaning, and water filtration with regular testing. Visual connections with nature, including a new window design to improve views and daylighting, living plant walls, and locally sourced natural materials, enhance the building’s biophilia.

An emphasis on sustainability is evident throughout the campus. The adaptive re-use of existing buildings is expected to reduce the site’s embodied carbon emissions by thirteen times over a new build. Net zero energy is achieved through electrification and solar PV with battery storage. The new window design with indoor light shelves gives solar shading and daylight autonomy. And E-vehicle charging stations, local transportation options, and class I and II bike paths provide access to sustainable transportation. A building-wide sustainable purchasing policy was put in place. Water consumption was reduced through upgraded fixtures and rainwater harvesting on the site and the roof. Some ways waste will be reduced is through providing storage for recyclables and organics, arranging for organics hauling, and local composting in a community garden.