ALma station

Menlo Park, San Mateo County

Responding to Menlo Park's need for additional office space to accommodate the neighborhood's growing number of new creative companies, the design for Alma Station transformed approximately10,270 square feet of 1950s single-story restaurant and retail space into a contemporary 25,000-square-foot, built-to-suit office building. The new three-story project offers well daylighted open-space layouts within a net-zero energy building that has applied for LEED Platinum certification.

This inventive design incorporates courtyards and terraces on every level, allowing building occupants to host meetings, socialize outdoors, and enjoy views of the bay area mountains beyond. A two-story living wall marks the entrance, symbolizing the building's commitment to sustainable design. Additionally, a public plaza featuring a privately owned coffee shop was incorporated into the property, facilitating access and interaction with the neighboring community. Meanwhile, the limestone and travertine stone facade lends the project a sense of permanence in a neighborhood with plans for significant change.

Work performed while employed at BAR Architects & Interiors.

Interior design by Brayton Hughes Design Studios

Photography © BAR Architects & Interior