A 35.6 acre swath of land in Santa Clara is the site of technology company Nvidia’s campus expansion project. The location is nestled along San Tomas Expressway at Walsh Avenue where the corporation’s Phase I Endeavor, a 500,000 square foot building prominently rests with its iconic geometry. Now Nvidia has announced commencement of construction on Phase II of campus redevelopment. The work is expected to start this month and ultimately add 750,000 square feet within the new building, right next door to Endeavor.
“Voyager is expected to be completed in about three and a half years,” said Hector Marinez, Director of Corporate Communications for Nvidia. Design is still being finalized but will complement Endeavor. It is being designed by Gensler and constructed by Devcon, the same companies used in the first building, which will ensure continuity in design.”
According to Reena Brilliot, Planning Manager for the City of Santa Clara, Phase III will follow the Voyager building though Nvidia hasn’t yet submitted an application for the third structure. Phase III is anticipated to deliver an additional 699,000 square feet to the trio of office buildings.
Nvidia has received the green light from Santa Clara to build a total of 1.95 million square feet of office space. Up to 3.63 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of building area can be provided on site. The final product will be a futuristic styled headquarters rivaling Apple’s ‘Spaceship’ campus in Cupertino.
As a computer graphics company, among other specialties, Nvidia chose the triangular building shape to represent one of the fundamental elements of design, a contour that also fits naturally within the project site. Although it appears that there will be some subtle differences between Voyager and Endeavor, the overarching designs are envisioned to be similar.
“This Silicon Valley pioneer sought a corporate headquarters that reflected its core belief in people as its greatest asset,” states a description by Gensler. “The 250,000-square-foot floor plan of this triangular building is designed around how people move, demonstrating design from the inside out. Oversized platforms replace stairways as vertical connectors and serve to stage impromptu meetings and interactions. The building’s sculptural roof, informed by the interior planning, creates large, vaulted spaces along with more intimate areas where private, focused work occurs. Skylights bring ample diffused daylight into the building, creating an efficient and uplifting work environment, one poised to make its mark in the Silicon Valley landscape.”
“This is a landmark project for the City,” said Brilliot. “It’s a nice project, well designed and viewed as a welcome addition. We’re really excited that their campus will be consolidated. The design is attractive — very modern yet sensitive to providing a balance between productive and social spaces for employees. They’re very supportive of the employee experience and the project creates more open space and amenities. There’s also a trail connection so employees can have access to nature.”
Nvidia’s campus expansion isn’t located in any development focus area, however there’s significant activity going on nearby. Just north on San Tomas Expressway, Sobrato is constructing 613,800 square feet of office space contained within 16.4 acres, a project known as the Lawson Lane Office Campus. To the northwest of Nvidia, The Irvine Company has Santa Clara Square under construction, which is a mixed-use, residential project adding 2,200 units of housing and 40,000 square feet of retail to the area.