Adobe wanted employees to experience their new workplace as a reflection of their most inspired selves, a source of motivation and connection, high energy and thoughtful repose. The campus had to be flexible, functional, sustainable, and fundamentally unique. In response, we matched Adobe’s unique approach to integrating the art and science of digital experiences with a gold standard for integrated workplaces — an open, collaborative environment that brings brand expression outward in a public-facing way.

Long and narrow, Adobe’s 38-acre site flanks Interstate 15 as it courses through the Utah Valley near picturesque Lake Utah, bracketed by the striking Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains. The master plan presents an experiential metaphor for the dramatic local topography, interpreting Interstate 15 as if it were a natural phenomenon on the scale of mountains and rivers, to be embraced and celebrated for its dynamism. Just as the sweep of the mountains shapes the valley, the long sweep of the buildings ­— scaled to propel the natural metaphor and facilitate workplace interaction — defines and embraces the two primary campus spaces. The four-story office buildings are long and narrow; their finned façades appear opaque like the mountains from the oblique distance, opening into transparency as drivers pass by.

Emblematic of the company’s values of transparency and connection, a grand atrium acts as an all-hands space, town center, festival area, and place of quiet reflection. Spaces for work, play, exercise, and eating spin out from the atrium to engage the surrounding mountains and valleys; these vistas have become integral to the everyday experiences of visitors and staff. In turn, the expansive glass façades make visible the activities within — not only people working, but also dining, exercising, or playing basketball. 

Adobe required a corporate campus to accommodate all of its programmatic needs within an aggressive budget and schedule. The campus had to be designed and constructed in 27 months at a budget of $74 million — a goal that we achieved. Reflecting Adobe’s long-standing commitment to sound environmental stewardship, Phase I achieved LEED Gold.