Earlier quoted context omitted.
I worked at a place in Santa Monica called the Water Garden and it did seem isolated. And seeing cities like NYC and Taipei and even downtown Ann Arbor, I realize the benefits of new urbanism. However, I wonder if there is a new model emerging here in next generation corporate work centers. Buildings will get so large that they are act as their own cities, creating space that can be returned to ecological use. Such b…
Not to laugh too much, because I agree with you, but... You do realize that what you're positing (giant work buildings, close together, with all needed facilities nearby and lots of intra- and extra- transit access to nearby housing) is what most of us call an "urban downtown area", right? You don't need to invent this. People already figured it out.
Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
181–190 of 221 posts
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#182I work in a small office park located quite similarly on a grassy field locked entirely by some freeways and other large roads, though the buildings here are cheap and ugly, but even if they weren't, it'd still totally suck. It's isolated, not a part of the city, essentially, it's just a large parking lot (most of which is below the ground, but that doesn't really change anything). It's quite disappointing. Maybe it'…
I worked at a place in Santa Monica called the Water Garden and it did seem isolated. And seeing cities like NYC and Taipei and even downtown Ann Arbor, I realize the benefits of new urbanism. However, I wonder if there is a new model emerging here in next generation corporate work centers. Buildings will get so large that they are act as their own cities, creating space that can be returned to ecological use. Such b…
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
He did point out a couple of times that they're the largest tax payer in Cupertino and while they wanted to stay, they've go a couple of miles up the road to the next city if they needed to. Also note the councillors asked when they'd be breaking ground so they could start taxing them on it. Apple wouldn't have to look hard to get big incentives to hop over the city boundary, and they'll keep reminding the council th…
Possibly so. I should add that I'm not saying Cupertino should prevent Apple from building. I lived in Menlo Park for a year before moving to SF, and was struck by how anti-development the Menlo Park and Palo Alto governments (and ordinary citizens) were. Perhaps Cupertino is different. And, this proposal is pretty damn cool. Underground parking? That's fabulous.
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#184A bit of Silly Valley lore: Go graph "Company builds a new campus" against "Company stock falls like a rock." Atari, 1983. Apple, 1991. Sun (both times, I forget the years). SGI, 1990s. Various other companies (I forget which, it's been a while). It's like the hubris builds up to the point where the company is in a natural position to say, "Hey, we need a new campus," and the Gods decide that a little humiliation is…
What about all the other companies that built new campuses and their stock didn't fall?
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
Palo Alto and Mountain View have real places; the rest is pretty much all miserable sprawl. I miss working in downtown Palo Alto.
Cupertino "downtown" is a joke (I used to work there)... it's basically the intersection of two large streets (Stevens Creek at De Anza). Likewise Sunnyvale and Santa Clara are quite anemic, but Los Gatos, Saratoga and even Los Altos aren't bad. MV and PA are great places to dine. Cupertino is the only town I've worked in that never had a downtown.
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#186Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#187Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you take a closer look at the area, you can see they'll actually houses rather than office parks. They actually appear impressively dense by California standards. It's a lot harder to buy people's houses than a corporation's floors.
You're right (well they look like pretty nice apartment complexes) Streetview: http://goo.gl/3Qdhs Property prices just went waaay up there. Cash in and sell/lease to Apple employees, I'd imagine.
Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#189Re: Steve Jobs Presents His Ideas For A New Apple Campus
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
As the sun wanders across the sky throughout the day and year, every office will have some time spent in direct sun and other times in the shade. I'd probably choose the south side if I could so I could get extra sun in the winter.
I used to have a desk next to a window. Me, and many others taped up newspapers to block the infernal glaring light.