The fair weather of Silicon Valley affords the chance for this man-made suburban canyon to enliven the experience of working in Santa Clara. It is in a sense a landscaped street activated by the communal activities that bring people together: cafes, meeting rooms, fitness center, etc. Like a canyon its lushness and intimacy are intended to draw you in, entice you to sit down with your laptop and start working.
The “suburban canyon” master-plan steps out of the anonymity of the sprawl and promotes architectural identity through a pair of elliptical towers nested into a highly formalized hardscape. This duet of waffle cone buildings aims to reshape the flat suburban skyline. A vast garage with a landscaped roof faces the towers and becomes the other edge of an internal street/park of public use. The project wants to succeed as a generator of place at an iconic level and at an urban level.