Civic and Start up center for Stanford
University in Palo Alto_ California
Call for Ideas
2013
This project was born in October 2013 within the ELOP platform (environment-focusing learning operative platform), which aims to promote collaborative projects involving different universities in Milan, Bern, Weimar, Geneve, Stanford, Colonie and Queretaro (Mexico). This Call for Ideas was hosted on site by Stanford University.
C.a.STup is a Civic and Start up center for Palo Alto and Stanford University.
The C.a.ST.up Center is really designed to be the new vibrating heart of the city, being said that the site is the converging point for the local transportation network, the existing Caltrain and the bus station but in particular the new high speed railway project, in discussion’s phase within the californian authorities.
The site, located between the Stanford University campus and the city of Palo Alto, lies along the important axis of Camino Real, and creates a link between these two very much divided realities. The ambition of the C.a.ST.up is to pose itself as a new, third polarity in this complex context, aggregating and stimulating element for citizens, other then attractive center for Start-ups at an international level and reference point in the Silicon Valley’s facilities panorama.
It is articulated in 5 floors, two underground, one ground free flow area and two floors plus a rooftop.
The site is 95000 mq of which 70000mq are green areas or open external space.
The transition between all spaces is meant to be as smooth as possible, the concept of the building is that is conceived as born from the park. On the ground basement and from the park the building is intentionally made to be crossed naturally and the structure is made to highlight the linear axis so strongly visible and perceivable. Especially the first floor is accessible from every side and in many ways.
The appereance of the building is very much layer-like, superposition of floors is extremely perceivable. At second floor and roftop the idea is too have those park stripes continuing their elongation within the building and always slowly rising. The user inside should be able to feel and enjoy this deep, structural connection.
Like a hand dragging the ground from the San Francisquito creek, the building is born from stripes of landscape becoming water basing, floors, walls and ramps.
