Humboldt Campus

Designed 2018 - Opened 2022

Sunnyvale, California

The Humboldt campus is a place of connection that turns the conventional Silicon Valley technology office inside out. It’s not just the interior areas that knit together teams, departments and ideas - the outdoor spaces do, too. The edges of the campus form a critical node within Google’s larger, district-level bike and pedestrian system, allowing for more movement of people and ideas throughout the region.

The architecture springs from the 1212 Bordeaux building that Google built in 2017 designed by Parabola. The interiors are centered on community and social interaction, with vibrant communal spaces forming the interface between the central courtyard and the meeting spaces within. Elevated walkways connect the buildings on their second floors, creating a continuous circulation loop that encourages cross-pollination of ideas between teams and across campus.

Our Studio’s Role: C&S Design Architect

Our Studio’s Team: Liz Lessig, Anthony D’Auria, Joshua Herzstein, Yuchen Song, Samantha Villasenor

Strategically placed activators encourage the community to participate in a shared experience.

Campus design weaves indoors and outdoors to support connectivity, interaction, and a natural extension of workspaces.

Connector Trellis North to South © Google

The landscape preserved a high-value grove of mature ash trees while culling invasive plants and water-intensive trees

The same dynamic shading systems that provide daylight and low-energy experience for Google staff in their workspace also provides protection for local wildlife via a bird-safe fritted glass pattern developed specifically for this campus.