Client:

urban confluence silicon valley competition

Location:

san jose, ca

Program:

parkscape

Area:

na.

Construction Budget:

na.

Completion Date:

2020

Role on Project:

project manager/lead architect

Architect: AROA

”Programmatic Confluence” is our reevaluation of the relationship between public and tech space in the Bay Area. Our goal is to generate a small scale plan with large scale impact for the redevelopment of Guadalupe Park by focusing our intervention on the demands of the city’s social and ecological landscape. This confluence of programs happens through the interaction and blending of two architectural ribbons; the park-scape ribbon and the activation ribbon. Much like Silicon Valley’s partnership between research institutions and private ingenuity, these two components weave themselves together through the park responding both to the site-specific design and public needs. The interaction and confluence of these two ribbons generates a strong visual presence and a unique environment that reflects San Jose and its impact on the world through technological innovation.

Our design develops the park with innovative cultural nodes including: cafes, creative work spaces for think tanks/designers, galleries, performance spaces, and restaurants. This guarantees a vibrant and active site throughout the day and evening. This social activation creates a mini metropolis within the larger cityscape, allowing for the park to become an innovation hub nestled within nature. While large technology companies have developed work campuses that mimic the city, we are interested in developing a responsive, counter-campus where tech and public space engage. The vertical circulation towers are lit at night to create safe entry and exit points as well as communicate with the surrounding cityscape. These vertical surfaces can be lit in a variety of ways by the city government or nearby stadium, creating a theme that cuts across the landscape.

The materials driving this design are all recycled and green certified. As a key component of this proposal, vertical lighting will utilize adaptive lighting strategies that include: motion sensors, bi-level fixtures, and a daylight harvesting strategy designed for the site. Our concern for the environment and the surrounding biolife was our main motivator to find a wall for these seemingly small scale lighting design changes to have a large-scale impact. The use of green roof technology, solar panels, and wind turbines is also integral to the development of this project. Our goal was to make sure that the design would operate as a net zero energy consumer, and become a showcase of these innovative technologies that generate energy.