Square
Pure form as a manifesto
The challenge
San José, Silicon Valley. An international competition to design an iconic urban facility capable of embodying the spirit of the place — innovation, data, the conquest of the infinitely large and the infinitely small — within a single architectural object.
The design response
A perfect square in a spectacular cantilever — a pure, immediate form, suspended in space like an impossible bridge. The geometry is a tribute to emptiness: this void serves as the showcase for a giant holographic screen. The south face, covered with 3,280 m² of photovoltaic glazing, generates approximately 8.2 MWh annually, covering the entire energy needs of the building. Inside: a restaurant, café, experimental vertical farm, and themed exhibition spaces. A demountable and recyclable three-dimensional steel structure, tilted at 32°, engineered to withstand wind and seismic activity.
- Category: Iconic Architecture / Cultural and Urban Facility
- Location: San José, California
- Status: International competition
- Expertise: Concept, global design, modeling, and rendering
