Location:  South San Francisco, California

Client: Genentech

Genentech Building 32 was the first phase of a three building master plan site for this world leader in biotechnology.  The five story office building contains 125,000 square feet and houses Corporate Finance, Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, Human Resources, Legal and Medical Affairs.   

Interior spaces are designed to provide a functional workspace that does not promote or imply hierarchy in the offices and workstations. The upper levels are designed as generic floor plans offering 8’-8” X 10’-8” clear enclosed offices and 8’-0” x 10’-0” open workstations.  The design intent is to provide a workplace environment that fosters concentration and collaboration. Each main circulation aisle ends with a view corridor with full height glass which connects the interior work environment to the outdoors.  The more public conference and meeting space on each floor is accessed off a “Main Street” separate from the private workplace environments.

The exterior building design reflects the functions of the interior while acknowledging the unique properties of the existing site and the future conditions implied by the master plan.  

The building is L-shaped in plan, and its massing defines the upper northwest edge of the courtyard. At the ground level, an arcade faces the courtyard, providing a protected path to enter the building lobby and the cafeteria located there. Hardscape terraces, adjacent to the dining facility offer sunny, wind protected areas for outdoor seating. The building façades and materials are consistent with Genentech’s existing design vocabulary, with a strong horizontal expression consisting of precast concrete panels and large expanses of vision glass. The curvilinear shape of the building wraps around the courtyard and is covered with large expanses of vision glass, offering both views inward into the public spaces of the building and outward to the courtyard.  Ground floor uses include a dining facility with catering kitchen, a conference and learning center, and a central visitor lobby for the site.