NVIDIA Headquarters
Architect: Gensler
Client: NVIDIA
Location: Santa Clara
Completion: 2015

U.S.-based graphics chip manufacturer NVIDIA has unveiled plans for its new one million square foot corporate headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley. Designed by architect Hao Ko of Gensler, the two-story mega-complex boasts a pair buildings—triangular in plan and with undulating roof lines—that will be constructed in two phases.

The three-point footprint is not just for looks. Its purpose is to connect the estimated 2,500 building occupants while maximizing the flexibility and flow of the workspace. According to Ko, the design’s triangular floor plates make it easier to minimize travel distances within the building. The theme of connectivity is evident upon entering the structure. The front lobby is lined with food service and other amenities, bringing active uses to a programmatic space that is typically quiet as a church. Platform-like stairs encourage impromptu meetings. “Stair landings are oversized so people feel comfortable to pause for spontaneous interactions and stair treads are enlarged to allow for people to sit and use for casual meeting, to sit and work,” said Ko.

The design also connects workers with the outdoors. The roof is made up of interlocking triangular steel panels that surround a large central skylight. The triangular sections break down the building’s overall mass when viewed from above and accommodate smaller skylights in their interstices. Parking is underground, leaving ample site space available for landscaped areas onto which meeting rooms and dining functions open, encouraging employees to move outside when the mood strikes.