Building 49 Coworking Offices – Palo Alto
Feldman Architecture designed coworking offices for Building 49 in downtown Palo Alto, California, pairing a welcoming street-level lobby and flex space with warm materials, herringbone hardwood floors, and a bronze-and-brick facade.
Located in downtown Palo Alto, Building 49 is a thoughtfully redesigned commercial space created for a repeat client with a clear vision: to build a boutique co-working environment tailored to their peers in the AI & venture capital space. The workspace aims to reflect the community’s spirit of innovation — open, collaborative, flexible, and inspiring.
Before the transformation, the existing building housed a series of innovative tech companies, serving as a hub for the booming and ever-evolving Silicon Valley community. The building not only carried a legacy of its own but also sat in the heart of one of Palo Alto’s busiest, most forward-thinking streets. The original structure was clad in dated pink stone and corrugated metal siding, and inside, office spaces lacked light, openness, and didn’t reflect the progressive values of its occupants.
The refreshed design facilitates collaboration while still providing flexibility to work in private, quiet spaces. The ground floor greets guests with a welcoming lobby and an open break area designed to energize the space. Positioned at street level, large floor to ceiling street facing windows foster a natural connection to the neighborhood, drawing interest from passersby. A large flex space anchors the floor, serving as a dynamic hub where visitors can drop in to work in a café-like setting or gather for events and presentations. The second and third floors offer a balance of private offices, conference rooms, and open-office layouts. Long library-style tables on both floors reinforce the informal, collaborative spirit of the space – perfect for laptop work or impromptu meetings.
The palette emphasizes richness and warmth through texture, warm hues, and muted dark accents. While tonal in character, it achieves variety through simple materials that feel crafted and timeless. Hardwood floors in a herringbone pattern and custom decorative lighting add a layer of refinement. Two kitchenettes, one light and one dark, serve distinct purposes: the light-toned kitchenette, located in the lobby, reinforces openness and hospitality, while the darker kitchenette, located within the open workspace, creates a striking counterpoint and anchors the space. An island with a double waterfall edge adds visual weight and a sculptural presence.
On the front facade, dark bronze paneling at street level creates a visual hierarchy and offers a sense of wayfinding. The warm, textured material contrasts with the lighter tones of the upper levels, adding depth and character. Above, brick was introduced as the primary façade material to replace the pink stone. Brick not only provides visual richness and tactile interest but also emphasizes key areas of prominence while allowing stucco-clad portions to recede. Together, the palette of bronze, brick, and stucco creates a contemporary, contextual identity that is both sophisticated, approachable, and in character for downtown Palo Alto.
In sourcing materials, fixtures, and furnishings, our team prioritized sustainability. Much of the furniture in the renewed office space is either sourced locally or is a certified Declare Label product. With furniture from Fyrn, Muuto, and Audo Copenhagen, decorative lighting by Bt-d, and finishes from Cle Tile, Hakwood, and Shinnoki, elevated brands, materials, and vendors add a sense of refinement to the space.
Design: Feldman Architecture
Design Team: Chris Kurrle, Nicholas Tedesco, Yulia Korneeva, Norman Wong, Lindsey Theobald, Brooke Mareschal, Jenni Deas, Daisy Tuller
General Contractor: W.L. Butler
Photography: Cesar Rubio
