Silicon Valley Bank – Salt Lake City

Silicon Valley Bank’s new open-plan 27,815-s.f. space makes the most of floor-to-ceiling windows providing 360-degree views of the valley and the Wasatch range of the Rocky Mountains. 

Great views are not unexpected in Salt Lake City.  What is surprising, however, is these spectacular views benefit an operations staff used to drab and uninspired data center spaces.  But SVB’s culture embraces wellbeing alongside feeling welcome, and FENNIE+MEHL took that direction to heart.

Emerging from the elevator lobby, all are welcomed into the Event Center, a collection of spaces open to employees and visitors alike with long, expansive views across the valley.  The café, reception area and large training center are designed to be flexible, with moveable glass panels and furniture that has recently hosted a company All Hands meeting with the corporate C-Suite attending.

Design inspiration came straight from the landscape of Salt Lake and the materials native to this area, so texture, pattern and movement make the office feel natural and alive. The unique copper-clad reception desk is inspired by the angles of the local mountains. Local photographer Logan Davidson’s abstract aerial images of the Great Salt Lake provide another interpretation of the land. 

Four corner huddle rooms anchor the core of the space, symbolic peaks to the valley of the open office workplace. But the oversize lockers for skis or snowboards make sure the slopes can be very real for anyone visiting the office.

Photography: Jeremy Bittermann