To transform an aging and uninspiring collection of tilt-up concrete buildings, we partnered as associate architect with Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture (design lead and architect of record) to overhaul the interiors and create a more cohesive neighborhood within Google’s larger campus.

This campus re-design transforms a series of dark and disorganized spaces into vibrant workspace, landscape, and amenities linked through a bold formal strategy, dubbed the Linking Path and Caterpillar. The Linking Path and Caterpillar are spatial and material strategies that simultaneously provide identity at the campus scale and experiential conditions at the building scale.

The Caterpillar is a 350 foot long occupiable volume. Its strong physical presence stretches across all 3 buildings, linking the complex program and acting as a way finding device. The Caterpillar mediates between the creative chaos of open workspace and the shared infrastructure of conference and phone rooms, lounge spaces, and kitchens.  Made from translucent white fabric stretched across a custom metal frame and an integrated programmable LED lighting system, the Caterpillar is a spatial and sensory contrast from the intensity of workspace.  The Caterpillar helps arrange various spaces, creating nodes of interaction and mediating noise between conference rooms and heads-down workstations.

The Linking Path is bold experiential graphic that begins on the path outside the buildings, extends to the inside floors, and continues up onto walls in each lobby.  As this Linking Path moves into the buildings, it leads to the Caterpillar.

Each building’s color palette references the California climate and surrounding landscape: spring green, sky blue, and sunset blue.  Sustainable strategies of re-use, healthy materials, CALGreen compliance, non-automobile transit, wildlife protection, and energy efficiency that exceeds T24, reinforce this landscape connection.