Techonology Accelerator
This project is located on the second floor of Varsity Theater, an historic California registry building on University Avenue in Palo Alto. The project’s goal was to create an office environment that has a start-up feel for the incubation of new ideas and initiatives. Transparency, collaboration and flexibility are all priorities while respecting the historic fabric of the former theater.
The office space is entered from the rear parking lot entrance through a lobby that features a new stair with frameless glass railing. The dramatic, historic arched ceiling and ornamental arcades are revealed as one ascends the stairs. All new elements have been designed with the concept of “reversibility” in mind so that these elements could be removed at a later date without damaging the historic fabric. Partial height walls in the front provide a semi-private separation between the open office area and the assembly area while allowing the historic ceiling above to float over the space, untouched.
A glass cover at the large second floor opening, that was added in the 1990’s when the theater was converted to a bookstore, serves to separate the office environment from the retailer on the first floor while providing sightlines from the retail floor, through the second floor to the original theater ceiling high above. Glass railings encircle the glass cover providing even less of a visual barrier to the former auditorium space above. Flexible workstations are arranged around the floor opening while conference rooms are located within existing cloistered, low-ceiling areas enclosed by glass storefronts to enhance transparency. Solid walls are setback from any historic column or detail so as to not interfere with the historic elements.
A partial height coffee bar is featured in the front that alludes to a concession stand of a theater. Next to the coffee bar is an assembly area with a mix of “living room” type soft seating and café seating for casual meetings, catered events, and exhibition day. The assembly area could be used every day for 40 staff to have lunch simultaneously and for occasional catered events such as cocktail parties, and recruiting days that could have between 50-70 people in attendance. Exhibition day could have as many as 150 people attending and watching video presentations on large retractable screens. The space is flexible to provide for these occasions but not necessarily dedicate permanent space to these activities.A variety of soft seating and phone rooms are also dispersed throughout the space.