Sunnyvale is a city with a rich history of establishments dating back to the 19th century. Many of its architectural designs and neighborhood themes of today come from its original design. This is true of the buildings along the 100 block of South Murphy Avenue. The establishments in this area have received improvements to keep up with modern standards for newer businesses, but these renovations have skillfully maintained each space’s old charm. 

With the city’s constant need for building updates, there are many excellent architects who serve in the area. The best industrial architects offer renewed facilities, warehouses, and centers that can combine the older appeal with modern functionality or can build from the ground up. These firms have extensive backgrounds in the business with various accolades that support their track record. Below, we have created this list of the top nine industrial architects in the area, ranking each by the firms’ portfolio, experience, process, and recognition.

HGA Architects and Engineers

84 West Santa Clara St. Suite 200, San Jose, CA 95113

Pictured below is LinkedIn’s Sunnyvale headquarters. This project involved a 125,000-square-foot floor plan with a five-month schedule. The primary objective of this project was to offer the company an attractive, collaborative, and thoughtfully-branded space. The purpose of this was to attract recruits from Mountain View and create a buzz for the new office. Designer firm HGA Architects and Engineers focused on creating better collaborative space and implementing a “South of Market” look using concrete and wood to make up areas such as walkways, cafes, and a library area. Upon completion, the project received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification. 

Projects like the LinkedIn Sunnyvale office are common in HGA’s portfolio. Scott Colson leads the firm today using an approach that is rooted in architecture and engineering with the goal of producing tailor-made spaces for their clients. This process has garnered the firm accolades such as the USITT 2020 Architecture Merit Award and the Southern California Development Forum Design Award.

SSOE Group

2855 Kifer Rd. Suite 145, Santa Clara, CA 95051

Since its establishment in 1948, SSOE Group has developed into a delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management. These services lead to long-term establishments with strong, sustainable support. Its approach has led to the completion of the project below, involving a capital program of offshore engineering sources. The SSOE Group integrated the offshore supplier slowly into the site. The firm has provided its services to the site for the past two decades. The establishment’s years of service has given the team a deep understanding of the property’s components, which translates to the integration of new systems and workers. The main focus of this project is to increase capacity, efficiency, and product additions. Upon completion, the site received significant upgrades that accentuated the site’s functionality.

RMW Architecture Interiors

30 East Santa Clara St. Suite 200, San Jose, CA 95113

Pictured below is the Portocork facility. The RMW team built a facility that sits on a 2.49-acre site that includes 40 parking stalls. The Portocork’s 44-man team outgrew its old facility that had a size of 44,000 square feet which led to the erection of the new building. The building took inspiration from an angular farmhouse-inspired industrial structure with two entrance drives. These entrances provide truck circulation for efficient work. Projects like these are common with RMW. Its five decades of experience have allowed the team to gain experience and explore newer methods to improve its work. Many of its award-winning projects come from the industrial, academic, healthcare, and civic sectors. Other notable accolades the firm has received include winning the 2018 AIA Silicon Valley Award and the 2019 WoodWorks Wood Design Awards.

HPC Architecture, Inc.

2216 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95050

Since 1986, HPC Architecture has served various high-tech and corporate clients throughout the Silicon Valley, Bay Area, and Northern California. In terms of its service, the firm offers traditional architectural design services but incorporates other methodologies such as programming and site planning. As a result of this process, the picture below is one of the industrial projects the firm completed, featuring a 100,000-square-foot warehouse. Upon completion, the facility had significant features such as a solid structural foundation, practical workspaces, and various equipment. Some of the company’s notable clients include Tesla Motors Inc., Palmer Chiropractic College, Adobe, Hitachi Chemical Company, Facebook, and IGN Entertainment.

Habitec Architecture and Planning

2290 North 1st St. Suite 304, San Jose, CA 95131

Since its establishment in the early 1970s, Habitec Architecture and Planning has blossomed into a leading firm in Silicon Valley. The firm is a licensed company in numerous states across the U.S. and Canada. Its expertise ranges from retail, multi-use, corporate, manufacturing, medical, and recreational. Its approach for consistency revolves around creative design solutions that focus on project practicality and user-functionality. The picture below features the Kettmann Machining facility. The floor plan consists of various equipment and tools in a space that encourages functionality and safety. With successful projects like these filling its portfolio, Habitec Architecture and Planning have earned itself a long list of notable clients such as Google, PayPal, Tesla, and eBay.

Form4 Architecture

120 Second St. 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105

Paul Ferro and John Marx established Form4 Architecture in 1998. The pair slowly developed the firm into a premier architectural company, providing services for a plethora of sectors. In 2014, the firm received 26 international and national design awards, cementing the firm as a premier company in the industry. Notable accolades Form4 received include the 2017 American Prize for Architecture and the 2017 American Architecture Award (x2). The firm has also been featured in publications such as the Silicon Valley Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times. 

Displayed above is a notable project the firm has completed, featuring the Allakos Biotechnology workplace. The floor plan consists of a workplace with equipment-intensive laboratories that received upgrades with amenity spaces, resulting in an invigorating area. Other amenities include game rooms, lounges, and meeting rooms.