At 1.25 million square-feet, Adobe Founders Tower is the fourth and largest building at the company’s
global headquarters in San Jose, adding additional capacity for approximately 4,000 employees.
The 18-story tower, located near San Jose’s Diridon Train Station, includes six levels of above-grade
parking, two levels of below-grade parking, and 2,250 square-feet of ground-floor retail space.
Adobe Founders Tower is LEED Gold and Silicon Valley’s first all-electric office building.

The tower’s primary curtain wall system incorporates tapered horizontal and vertical aluminum
sunshades utilizing custom oversize extrusions. Highly transparent glass is incorporated at a second
curtain wall system where enhanced visibility into the building from the exterior is a design feature—
showcasing activity within the double-height interior spaces and Adobe’s use of color. The sunshades
are distributed in a pattern which varies across elevations to optimize performance and views. The
facade system at parking garage levels incorporates sculptural, custom folded, perforated aluminum
rainscreen cladding panels to elegantly screen the garage from view while allowing for ventilation.
Adjacent to the freeway and in close proximity to the San Jose airport, the building enclosure was
designed to meet stringent acoustic requirements.

Heintges provided building envelope consulting services during all phases of design and construction.

(Image Credit: Jason O’Rear)