WAN AWARDS 14 Commercial

Gardens, transparency and wood finishes create a warm, intimate work environment for this office headquarters of a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Located on a long, narrow infill site, redwood and bamboo screening, vegetated roofs and a podium garden are used to create a garden setting that the transparent interior can enjoy while maintaining privacy from adjacent neighbors. To reduce disruption by on-site construction, the two-story office building is made of prefabricated steel modules set by crane on a concrete parking podium.

The bold and subtly restrained architecture and interior design seamlessly embody the culture of this innovative company. Strong, accent-colored glass and lounge furniture express the company’s reputation for risk taking in major, disruptive clean technologies; some used in the building. Fine, straight-grained, wire-brushed wood finishes in custom-designed workstations, interior walls, doors, ceilings and exterior siding form an elegant and understated feeling in keeping with the firm’s sophisticated, in-depth analysis of emerging markets.

The building is designed to temporarily house and incubate young companies. Because these start-ups can evolve (or fail) quickly, the interiors are adaptable to their changing needs. Each modular space is separately programmed and controlled for HVAC, LED lighting, shading and electrical services. Warm-toned concrete floors reinforce open, spatial continuity while allowing demountable walls and glass partitions to be added or removed for different work environments. Full-height marker board finishes accommodate collaborative ideation in private offices and a variety of conference room types; from large, formal multi-media equipped rooms to informal, reconfigurable lounge space.