Form4 designs curved roofs for project at Stanford Research Park

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)