Adobe Founders Tower

The first all-electric building of its scale in Silicon Valley, Adobe’s Founders Tower embodies the company’s commitment to creativity, sustainability, and inclusivity, and takes an innovative approach to the future of work. Founders Tower adds 18 stories and 1.25 million square feet to Adobe’s corporate headquarters in San Jose.

The building design focuses on inclusivity, connections, choice, and adaptability with an emphasis on seamless interactions, collaboration, and team building. Inside, space types and technology to support all modes of work and neurodiversity are balanced with amenities to empower teams to be effective and engaged. A pedestrian bridge, currently under construction, will connect the new tower to Adobe’s existing campus.

Adobe’s DNA shines throughout the building with the intentional use of color. A color-changing interior thread, dubbed the ‘strand’ ties the building together as a series of double-height spaces. The highly transparent areas of the glass façade bring out the color and activity of these spaces, allowing the community to see into the workspaces inside. The orange strand designates social areas to create a sense of belonging, connection, and community; green evokes a collaborative, inclusive approach to teamwork; and blue instills a sense of refresh with a mixture of spaces for respite and adventure.

Collaborating with Atelier Ten, key efficiency strategies include a high-performance envelope, low lighting power, and close controlled HVAC systems, which are estimated to reduce the building’s energy use by 40% compared to a baseline building, minimizing its carbon footprint and ensuring future energy solutions can be easily incorporated.