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Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners
Urban Frames ,  | International Design Awards Winners

Urban Frames

Lead DesignersJohn Marx
Prize(s)Silver in Architecture Categories / Conceptual, Silver in Architecture Categories / New Commercial Building
Entry Description

This design seeks to instill a distinct character, human scale, lush nature, and pedestrian friendliness, while providing meaningful placemaking in a neighborhood globally known for being the epicenter of the tech industry.

These distinctive residential and commercial buildings, conceived as an architectural ensemble, articulate their own skyline against the pronounced horizontality of Palo Alto. They occupy a quarter of a city block, offering to the local community a restrained Mediterranean modernity, both disciplined and relaxed. Its cubist massing lets coexist individuality in multiplicity: each unit has a recognizable presence while being fully integrated into a total vision.

Hardscape and landscape knit together the building footprints into a continuum in the manner of an old European city. Outdoor spaces at mid-air are evocative of balconies where the spectacle of city life can unfold. This design creates an environment to gather, share, retreat, entertain, nurture, reflect, work, and function: a place.