Seeking a new headquarters in Silicon Valley, Palo Alto Networks had its sights set on the 3333 Scott Campus in Santa Clara. SVM had just begun construction of the chilled water plants on the same campus when the fast-growing cybersecurity company decided to hedge forward with their new project. The original plan during the shell construction was to provide 700 tons of cooling for the buildout needs only with allowances for future equipment if needed. With the new requirements set forth by Palo Alto Networks, SVM switched gears and upsized the shell equipment to allow for the installation of a 1,200-ton data center as part of the TI.

The new 630,000 SF headquarters is comprised of three 12-story buildings. With transparency and connectivity at the root of the design, the buildings were programmed to include large open office and conference room space, one floor designated for executive conference space, three full service cafes, training rooms, a large dining/all-hands space, fitness center, juice bar, game room, retail store, and two floors to host the data center. To keep the atmosphere balanced most spaces are served with a reheat VAV system, keeping aesthetics above par we were challenged with hiding as many VAV systems as possible while maintaining access.

Working closely with client, we determined the best cooling solution would be to install many in-row cooling fan coils. Specific to one building that did not have spare capacity, SVM installed an additional air-cooled chiller with a built-in water side economizer for code compliance. We also utilized an existing cooling tower platform – modifying it to fit the needs of the new chiller.

Overall the new headquarters is an open comfortable working environment that supports employee engagement and wellness goals.