Structure Type: Covered walkway
Project Scope:
Project Size: 4,700 sqft
Material: PTFE
Location: Fremont, CA
Completion Date: 2016
Market Segment: Functional & Commercial Buildings
Owner: Western Digital Technologies
General Contractor: XL Construction
Architect: Peter Vatkov
Engineer:
Photo credits: Gary Taylor
The Western Digital Campus in Fremont, CA, features a uniquely angular tension fabric structure walkway canopy designed by Bay Area architect, Peter Vatkov, and built by FabriTec Structures. The walkway canopy stretches over 4,700 sq. ft and provides shelter to gatherers along the campus’ main spine.
“The Fremont facility of Western Digital, a leading hardware manufacturer, consists of two major buildings. The intense pedestrian traffic generated between the buildings illustrates the dynamics of the various organizational, technological, and social forces dominating the life on campus. People, carts, and vehicular traffic obey the pattern of the invisible but powerful magnetic field created between the buildings. In this field as in particle collider, 1000 employees clash into each other each day, exchanging intellectual and emotional energy. Whether it is busy walking while mentally organizing the next project, talking with colleagues, relaxing alone or with friends, having a snack, waiting for the boss, checking the latest on the Net, getting some fresh air between two tasks, noticing the hills and the sky – the chances are it will happen on this main campus spine.”
