Project description

A vast office building, 1265 Borregas marks Google’s first ground-up mass timber development. Its structure combines a glulam beam and girder system, timber concrete composite construction with 14-foot cantilevers and buckling restrained braced frames. Designed as an all electric, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum workplace, the building supports Google’s 2030 decarbonisation aspiration and sets a precedent for repeatable, sustainable office buildings at scale.

Judge’s comments

A confident and thoughtfully executed mass timber workplace that brings together multiple well-considered structural ideas in one cohesive design. From exposed timber framing to long cantilevers, timber-to-timber connections, and a distinctive braced frame, the building showcases how traditional materials can be applied in fresh and inventive ways. The result is a warm, large-scale commercial environment that balances structural clarity with architectural expression.

Project overview

Structural Designer

  • EQUILIBRIUM

Client Name

  • Google

Location

  • California, USA

Architect

  • Michael Green Architecture, SERA

Principal Contractor

  • XL Construction

Key Contractors

  • Mass timber supplier: Structurlam

Year Submitted

  • 2025

Key attributes

  • Process