ENR 2025 Global Best Projects
Best Project, Green Project: 1265 Borregas
Leveraging mass timber to cut carbon
The first mass timber office building for both Google and Sunnyvale, Calif., showcases low-carbon construction and exposed wood.
1265 Borregas
Calif.
Best Project, Green Project
Submitted by XL Construction
Owner: Google LLC
Lead Design Firm: Michael Green Architecture
Contractor: XL Construction
Civil Engineer: Kier & Wright
Structural Engineer: Equilibrium Consulting
MEP Engineer: Introba
Architect of Record: SERA Architects
Development Manager: Sares Regis Group of Northern California
The first mass-timber office building for Google and for the city of Sunnyvale, Calif., is designed for energy efficiency and to support occupants’ comfort and wellbeing. The all-electric building is expected to produce 96% fewer carbon emissions than an equivalent steel and concrete structure, factoring in sequestration. Rooftop solar panels generate renewable energy, while daylighting strategies and displacement ventilation improve indoor air quality.
A first-in-the-nation closed cavity facade is continuously supplied with dry, filtered air, which prevents condensation and dust accumulation. The system can automatically adjust the blinds to manage sunlight and heat, enhancing performance without needing maintenance within the cavity.
Photo by Mark Wickens
Once the facade arrived from the Netherlands, the team assembled the structure in just 12 weeks, making up for delays caused by a pandemic-related international shipping crisis. The building’s composite concrete-timber cantilever floor decks had important technical requirements for shoring and bonding the concrete topping slabs to the cross-laminated timber panels.
“Before 1265 Borregas was built, we used a full-scale, two-bay building mock-up to demonstrate how mass timber would perform,” says Dave Beck, executive vice president of XL Construction, the project’s general contracting firm.
Photo by Mark Wickens
“The team educated and worked with city jurisdictions on how to design, review, construct and inspect a multi-story mass timber building,” Beck notes. “Because of this education and partnership, final design and construction went smoothly.” The building’s biophilic design creates a unique user experience, he adds. “When you stand in this building, especially under the double-height ceilings, it’s moving. You can really feel the biophilic benefits; it’s a one-of-a-kind place.”
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