Corporate culture meets ceramic architecture

Founded in 1996, Juniper Networks Inc. is an American multinational that develops state-of-the-art networking systems and services. The company’s character is forged by its mission — «Connect everything. Empower everyone» — and is reflected in the architecture of its recently renovated headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The new campus was designed to strengthen the bond between company teams, outside partners and customers, and once complete, will consist of 11 buildings, offering over 230,000 square metres of office space, workshops and recreation areas. The result is a perfect match between built environment and natural landscape, and a refreshing departure from standard paradigms, as emphasised by RMW Architecture and Interiors of San Francisco, which designed the facility and won an honourable mention in the Commercial category of the 2013 Ceramics of Italy Design Competition. Their painstaking research into possible materials for cladding the façade prompted the architects to opt for Caesar porcelain tile, in sizes 30×120 and 60×120 cm. The weightless appearance and durable surface of the Italian company’s large-format ceramic tiles lend the entire project a sense of harmony and a high level of practical efficiency in terms of maintenance. The intense colour tones and elegant textures, meanwhile, are a perfectly judged accompaniment to the contours of the structure as a whole. The building’s exterior, therefore, sees a juxtaposition of the E-motion collection, deployed as a field tile in Sandy White, and the More series in the colour Nylus, which serves as a recurrent accent throughout the project. Juniper’s technological character thus finds expression in each building, on which some 20,000 square metres of ceramic tiles were installed, by means of a system that uses lightweight concrete panels as a load-bearing framework for the large-format porcelain tiles. Designed by Walters&Wolf, the system offers enhanced tiling quality, while reducing installation times and consequent costs. The end-result is a cladding system that meets the requirements and expectations of both client company and building contractor. What’s more, the production processes behind the chosen products — such as the use of recycled industrial water, with consequently reduced energy consumption; the re-use of production waste, and the use of natural raw materials — make the project even more innovative and eco-sustainable.