The campus, bordered on the north by the 380 Freeway in San Bruno on the San Francisco Bay peninsula, is part of a 5-phase master plan intended to serve as the new headquarters for YouTube. The first phase consists of two newly designed buildings separated by a moderately-trafficked road on the ground level. The buildings are connected on the second level by an elevated pedestrian circulation system that will eventually connect all five phases.

The landscape concept is derived from a geological and ecological transect through the San Bruno Mountains, from the pacific coastline to the San Francisco Bay. Within this transect, distinctive landscape typologies serve as inspiration for the landscape design and varied micro-climates found within the project site.

The complex elevation changes within the building allowed for a series of outdoor courtyards at various levels. Most of the landscape is on-structure, which limits the amount of soil for planting. To provide optimal soil volume for trees, we developed a furniture system that also acts as a retaining wall, allowing the trees to be planted near seating areas and provide protected shaded seating and gathering spaces. The planting areas are located along the perimeter of the courtyards, leaving the center open as adaptable spaces for a broad range of uses. This approach also allowed the landscape to frame views from the interior workspaces, a key connection to nature that helps the site achieve a holistic, biophilic design by maximizing both physical and visual access to the landscape.

Complex and diverse ecosystems were integrated with the campus landscape design to provide environmental benefits to YouTube and to the community and complement local conservation and restoration efforts in San Bruno.  Habitat areas were designed to persist and regenerate over time and contribute to the long-term resilience of the project.  The design combines a majority native plants, which provide high wildlife and pollinator value, with culturally endemic or climate-appropriate non-native species to help provide a low-maintenance, seasonally compelling landscape for the campus.  Special attention was given to engineering soil profiles and selecting plants for the project to ensure the long-term success of the planting design.

Location: San Bruno, CA

Status: On-going

Project Type: Campus

Client: Google, Level 10, Ellis Partners

Collaborators: SHoP Architects, HLW Architects, 2 x 4 Environmental Graphics, HT Harvey Ecology Consultant

Imagery: Surfacedesign, Inc. & SHoP Architects