An Expanded Life Sciences Campus
HED unveiled the design for the second phase of the Ardenwood Innovation and Life Sciences Center in Fremont, California, transforming the site from a single-tenant headquarters into a multi-building campus for discovery and collaboration. The new facility will stand adjacent to the existing corporate headquarters and laboratory built for cancer genomics company Personalis, Inc., and together, the two structures will anchor a modern life sciences environment.
The expansion introduces a compelling campus vision. Where once there was a single building, the project now brings outdoor amenities, shared spaces, and architectural expression that reflect both the scale of surrounding development and the specific needs of life sciences tenants. The new building is designed to feel cohesive with its context while offering a stronger street presence. Carefully articulated corners, broken and layered masses, and a façade with multiple planes create visual interest from the approach and signal the campus’s new identity.
A shared outdoor amenity zone reinforces this transformation, serving as a buffer between building and street while giving tenants a space to gather, collaborate, and recharge. By drawing energy from the interior to the outside, the design strengthens the sense of campus community and makes the site more welcoming for both employees and visitors.
The building’s exterior combines a palette of modern materials with texture and detail. A curtain wall system is paired with ACM panels and multi-faceted precast concrete panels, enriched with formliner and sandblasted elements. This mix creates depth, variety, and durability, making the structure both contemporary in its aesthetic and resilient in its performance.
Inside, the building is designed to accommodate the technical requirements of life sciences research and office environments. The first floor features a generous 17-foot floor-to-floor height, while the second floor provides 16 feet floor-to-roof, creating space for robust systems and flexible laboratory layouts. Eleven-foot ceilings and 11-foot vision glass deliver abundant daylight and transparency, allowing interior environments to feel open, bright, and connected to the outdoors.
By balancing architectural expression with laboratory functionality, the design anticipates the needs of future life sciences tenants while helping the building contribute positively to the Ardenwood area. The project positions the site as an innovation hub designed to attract companies working on the next generation of discoveries.
With Phase II, the Ardenwood Innovation and Life Sciences Center evolved into a true campus, blending technical capability with architectural identity, outdoor amenity, and a sense of community. It is a vision for how a corporate headquarters can grow into a dynamic environment that supports the science of today and tomorrow.
