Best known for its Norton anti-virus software, Symantec intends to house over 1,500 employees within sustainably-constructed buildings designed to foster creativity. Building I is 302,000 square feet. Building II will be 252,000 square feet.

"The tight, sloped parcel, undeveloped for the past 30 years, challenged architects. To give a sense of the site, a construction truck entering at ground level will travel 800 feet and exit a full two building levels and twenty-nine feet higher. By placing a full service cafeteria at ground level where the slope drops away from the hillside, lunching employees enjoy a western view from the restaurant and patio."

"Slope also influenced the circular shape of the building that hugs the hillside. HOK incorporated a 'main street' concept; a rectilinear walkway that offers a way-finding method to navigate the entire building. The 'main street' lined with 62"-high furniture partitions in open space will contribute to a collegial environment for software developers. The all-concrete building has exposed interior concrete columns."

"Up on the roof, employees may be able to play basketball or volleyball on full-sized courts that can be used for future parking if necessary."

"Green building features include raised floors for heating, venting and air conditioning. By working with the physics tenet that hot air rises and cool air falls, floor-supplied temperature control means that systems are not required to cool air to such significant degrees because it travels a shorter distance from floor to employee. "

Source: "Symantec's Research & Development Campus Culver City, California," Office 21 Green Resource Guide, June 2006, by Alice D. Wilson. Read the story.