In the offices of Silicon Valley, creativity and productivity are paramount. Using publicly available sources, Claude Dutson explores the architecture, design and local infrastructure of the buildings and offices of the technology giants. She uses 3D models to condense visual material from the campuses of Alphabet (Google), Apple and Meta (Facebook), giving a realistic impression even of buildings that are not open to the public. In her lecture, the architecture researcher combined the insights gained with background information on the culture and development of Silicon Valley, e.g.
Silicon Valley is often equated with the offices of technology giants. But the valley is not just about office buildings. Products such as the iPhone are designed and developed locally. Only the assembly is outsourced. The defence and aerospace industries, with their technology parks, are also based in Silicon Valley. The entire culture of the region is deeply rooted in technology and ingenuity.
During the dotcom boom of the 1990s, the culture of invention was translated into new buildings. Leisure facilities and playful elements were incorporated. Employees were encouraged to bring their whole personality to work. At first, the architecture itself remained traditional and closed. Gradually, collaboration and paths within the building that allowed for chance encounters became more important. In 2006, the Googleplex incorporated outdoor spaces into the design. Facebook’s brief to Gensler was ultimately to ‘redesign the office’. Apple created the circular floor plan to allow employees to easily walk to any location.
The details in the photos analysed by Dutson also provide interesting insights. Images from Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory, for example, show early drone prototypes. A lamp in Google’s offices turned out to be a model of the defunct ‘Loon Project’, which aimed to use balloons to bring the internet to remote regions. All of these elements are more than just decoration; they help create identity and link the architecture to the company’s culture. According to Dutson, nothing about the new campuses is left to chance.
We are currently preparing a video with excerpts from Claude Dutson’s talk. It will be available here soon.
A detailed summary of the lecture can be found in the IBA Forum Newsroom.
