3985 Sorrento Valley
CLIENT:
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
LOCATION:
San Diego, CA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In a classic Brutalist style, the original building on this corporate campus had a bunker-like connection to the outdoors. The Alexandria team and building tenants wanted to change this. The northern façade was cracked open with glazing and roll up doors added. A native landscape was brought into the activated amenity spaces. Shade is created by awnings and tree canopies in a central garden. Vegetable plots sit adjacent to a BBQ and communal seating area. Sitting within the flood plain of the Peñasquitos Creek, an earth berm was built to protect the site and to give shelter to a busy Sorrento Valley Blvd. Today, the gardens are an exterior respite to the professional business activities occurring within the neighborhood.