As recently as 2013, the Los Angeles Times dismissed Silicon Valley as “an architectural wasteland.” Over the past decade, however, the picture changed dramatically as high-tech industry leaders – including Adobe Systems, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia – hired world-class architects to create iconic buildings that express their values and ideals.
To shed light on the renaissance of innovation and design, the Los Altos History Museum has scheduled the program “Conversations and Reflections: The Stories Behind the Buildings” 5:30-7 p.m. Aug. 17 at the museum, 51 S. San Antonio Road.
Facilitating the program will be Richard Adler, whose photography is featured in the exhibition “Building the Future: A Visual History of the Architecture of Silicon Valley,” on display at the museum through Oct. 22. Adler’s inspiration for the project stemmed from a course taught by Professor Barry Katz at Stanford University, The Architecture of Information. Adler and Katz will share stories of key industry leaders, including Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and their interactions with the architects who brought their visions to life.
“Many of these high-tech companies began in humble surroundings, like a dorm room or a garage, and they held on to the image of scrappy startups even as they became enormously successful enterprises,” Adler noted. “In designing these buildings, the leaders wanted them to reflect the spirit of their companies, to attract and support talent, to foster collaboration and creativity, and to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. More recently, after these iconic buildings were built, the landscape is shifting again as the relationship between work and physical office spaces is being redefined post-COVID. This program will consider the future of these buildings in a world of remote and hybrid work.”
Adler is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Future. His passion for photography spans over 50 years, and his work has won several awards and been displayed in numerous exhibitions, including a collection of the traditional architecture of Kyoto, Japan, displayed at the San Francisco Zen Center in 2003.
Katz is adjunct professor in the Design Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford and professor of industrial and interaction design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. With an educational background including studies at McGill University and the London School of Economics, as well as a doctorate from UC Santa Cruz, Katz is a consultant on design and innovation worldwide. He has authored eight books, including “Make It New: The History of Silicon Valley Design” (MIT, 2015), and is currently working on a new book, “The Architecture of Information: Structure and Symbol for the Age of Data.”
The program will include a reception with wine and refreshments. Attendees will receive copies of the new “Guide to Silicon Valley” that includes a map for a self-guided tour of key corporate buildings, historical sites and tech museums.
Cost is $10, free for museum members.
For registration and more information, visit losaltoshistory.org/StoriesBuildings.
