Samsung Electronics will enter the Silicon Valley rivalry for best technology-oriented campus with its new headquarters design. The 1.1 million-sf San Jose campus, calculated to give Apple, Facebook and other local high-tech firms a run for their architectural money, will support at least 2,500 sales and R&D staff in Samsung's semiconductor and display businesses.
A pair of linked, 10-story office buildings, encompassing a combined 680,000 sf, will be the hallmark structure. Extensive "green floors" will be provided on every third story, creating a stack of alternating enclosed and open spaces. The gardens will be available to employees for informal breaks and organized recreation. Adjacent facilities will be connected by elevated walkways.
In addition to offices, the program includes research space, a cleanroom, a data center, basketball and sports courts, and cafés in a star-shaped amenities building. A parking structure for more than 1,500 vehicles will feature a rooftop solar array. NBBJ, also the architect behind the recently announced Google Bay View campus, is helming the project.
Samsung Information Systems America is getting new quarters as well. The company has signed a 15-year lease for two six-story buildings in Mountain View's Cypress Business Park, comprising about 385,000 sf.
The state of California is providing an R&D tax credit and an unspecified reimbursement for employee training. The city of San Jose is pitching in with a reduction of traffic impact fees (by more than 50%), a 75%+ reduction in construction taxes, a 50% rebate of up to half of utility taxes for 10 years, and a direct $500,000 economic incentive.
(http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/18/business/la-fi-samsung-silicon-valley-20130218)
Related Stories
Architects | May 16, 2016
3 strategies to creating environments that promote workplace engagement
VOA's Pablo Quintana writes that the industry is looking for ways to increase engagement through a mix of spaces suited to employees' desire for both privacy and connection.
Architects | May 11, 2016
AIA to create a resilience curriculum for architects
The program will teach resilient design and decision-making on hazard mitigation, climate adaptation and community resilience.
Retail Centers | May 10, 2016
5 factors guiding restaurant design
Restaurants are more than just places to eat. They are comprising town centers and playing into the future of brick-and-mortar retail.
AEC Tech | May 9, 2016
Is the nation’s grand tech boom really an innovation funk?
Despite popular belief, the country is not in a great age of technological and digital innovation, at least when compared to the last great innovation era (1870-1970).
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 6, 2016
NBA’s Atlanta Hawks to build new practice center with attached medical facilities
The team will have easy access to an MRI machine, 3D motion capture equipment, and in-ground hydrotherapy.
Big Data | May 5, 2016
Demand for data integration technologies for buildings is expected to soar over the next decade
A Navigant Research report takes a deeper dive to examine where demand will be strongest by region and building type.
Urban Planning | May 4, 2016
Brookings report details how different industries innovate
In the new report, “How Firms Learn: Industry Specific Strategies for Urban Economies,” Brookings' Scott Andes examines how manufacturing and software services firms develop new products, processes, and ideas.
Architects | May 3, 2016
Study finds engineering, architecture among the best entry-level jobs
The results balanced immediate opportunity, job growth potential, and job hazards.
Architects | Apr 25, 2016
Notable architects design mini-golf holes for London Design Festival
Visionaries like Paul Smith, Mark Wallinger, and the late Zaha Hadid all helped in designing the course, which will be integrated into London’s Trafalgar Square.
University Buildings | Apr 25, 2016
New University of Calgary research center features reconfigurable 'spine'
The heart of the Taylor Institute can be anything from a teaching lab to a 400-seat theater.
