Location: South San Francisco, California
Client: Genentech
The Genentech South San Francisco site is a 98-acre urban campus that includes headquarters, administrative, research, development, manufacturing and other support activities for the Biotechnology company. Genentech’s corporate Long Range Plan indicates that significant growth will occur on this site over the next 10 years. To prepare for this growth Johnson Fain produced and analyzed alternate site and facility growth scenarios, within the opportunities and constraints imposed by the existing site. The planning effort included a focused evaluation of site wide services and amenities, including office, labs, cafeterias, training facilities, conference centers, child care, health and fitness center and parking.
After completing the master plan for Genentech, Johnson Fain was commissioned to provide programming and concept feasibility for the first of their new administrative/technical complexes which includes Buildings 32, 33 and 31. All buildings 31, 32 and 33 are complete.
Concept studies for Building 32 began with analysis of the carrying capacity of the Grandview Site’s properties with a view toward providing an optimal site for Buildings 32, 33 and 31 in the context of long-term opportunities. Genentech’s expressed goals for development of the site included (1) provision of a first-phase, 125,000 office building with efficient generic office space for technical and office-based user groups; (2) development of a “center” to the South San Francisco campus by providing both space and amenities to serve as its perceived and functional core; and (3) accommodation of incremental growth needs through a phased plan that will retain its spatial integrity at each stage of development.
Master planning analysis for the 9.9 acre site included examination of site development potentials both with and without additional property acquisition of the adjoining 2.2 acre “donut parcel.” The preferred plan incorporates three five-story office buildings of 125,000 square feet each, a 31,000 square foot amenities building, and a parking structure that accommodates approximately 730 cars in five levels. The principal buildings are developed around a large central courtyard that can function as a gathering space for large-scale corporate events. The spaces between the buildings are oriented to take maximum advantage of the views to the Bay and the mountains while still offering protection from the prevailing winds. Pedestrian connections ensure convenient access from the mid-campus and from other upper campus locations.