388 Cambridge introduces a contemporary boutique, net-zero office building to the Palo Alto market. The property extends across three former commercial parcels to introduce a new Class A office building with ample footprint. This 3-story mixed-use office and retail building maximizes the allowable height and building area while introducing a massing sensitive to the scale of the neighborhood and adjacent structures.

The non-combustible construction includes a concrete frame and a brick, stucco and aluminum+glass envelope. Carefully selected exterior finishes complement the materials familiar in neighborhood and surrounding buildings. The Cambridge façade introduces brick to provide a distinguishable character and scale to the structure, while the building massing is visually reduced with the introduction of setbacks and changes in material.

The building design balances the statement of identity for the office building with the sensitivity to the smaller scale of the neighboring structures. The west half of the building is designed to slightly differ from the east half of the building enough to be perceived as two buildings linked by a recessed, glazed office lobby. This design strategy minimizes the perceived massing of the office building, while introducing a structure of significance to the street and neighborhood. The stepping of the street-facing façade and ultra-clear retail glazing better relate to the pedestrian scale and experience. The east end of the street façade steps back to an exterior, covered, ‘L-shaped’ micro plaza that will be furnished with exterior dining tables and chairs to further activate the street frontage.