Stanford University’s new Innovation Curve Technology Park will certainly embody its name.
Designed by Form4 Architecture of San Francisco, the 13.5-acre Palo Alto campus will have four buildings that feature steep curved roofs that will be fabricated of painted recycled aluminum. The buildings, located on the edge of the Stanford Research Park, will accommodate programs for computer gaming, translation software, and digital inventions.
The wavy roofs reach up to two stories in height and are meant to symbolize the “roller-coaster evolution of innovation,” according to Form4. The process of exploratory research and development is filled with highs and lows (and some stagnation), and the roofs are a testament to that.
Deep overhangs and vertical glass fins shade the building exteriors to control solar heat gain and provide views in and out of the building. The design incorporates deep horizontal sunshades that act as light shelves and solar-controlled skylights.
With intentions of achieving LEED-Platinum certification, the Innovation Curve also has sustainable features like high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems, high-performance cool roofs, solar power generation, recycling of construction waste, and bioswales landscaped with native plants.
The Innovation Curve buildings are under construction and are expected to be completed by 2017. Also on the Building Team are Vance Brown Builders (contractor), DCI (SE), and M-E Engineers (MEP).
(Click renderings to enlarge)
Related Stories
| Dec 19, 2011
Davis Construction breaks ground on new NIAID property
The new offices will total 490,998 square feet in a 10-story building with two wings of 25,000 square feet each.
| Dec 14, 2011
Belfer Research Building tops out in New York
Hundreds of construction trades people celebrate reaching the top of concrete structure for facility that will accelerate treatments and cures at world-renowned institution.
| Dec 13, 2011
Lutron’s Commercial Experience Center awarded LEED Gold
LEED certification of the Lutron facility was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include: optimization of energy performance through the use of lighting power, lighting controls and HVAC, plus the use of daylight.
| Dec 12, 2011
AIA Chicago announces Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as 2011 Firm of the Year
SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
| Dec 12, 2011
CRSI design awards deadline extended to December 31
The final deadline is extended until December 31st, with judging shortly thereafter at the World of Concrete.
| Dec 12, 2011
Mojo Stumer takes top honors at AIA Long Island Design Awards
Firm's TriBeCa Loft wins "Archi" for interior design.
| Dec 10, 2011
10 Great Solutions
The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.
| Dec 10, 2011
Energy performance starts at the building envelope
Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.
| Dec 10, 2011
Turning Balconies Outside In
Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.
| Dec 10, 2011
BIM tools to make your project easier to manage
Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.