The largest green roof in the world will shelter a 769,140-square-meter mixed-use complex under a 30-acre, fully accessible public park that restores the pre-development character of the Cupertino landscape.

For The Hills at Vallco in Cupertino, California, landscaping, public amenities, residential uses, circulation, and views are layered in an innovative manner to create a unique open space environment rich in variety of experiences.

The project was driven by several overarching objectives, including clearing an existing mall, a bridged superblock; integrating the site by breaking it down into pedestrian-friendly blocks; creating a civic icon, and introducing a dynamic mixed-use environment for neighbors and visitors. The ground level blocks contain a variety of retail, restaurant, and entertainment amenities that face the street and surround multi-story integrated parking garages at the centers of the blocks. An undulating roof above reduces the apparent massing of the development.

More than 80 percent of the total site area is covered with this publicly-accessible green roof—a landscaped parkland with sports, recreational, and cultural programs—a significant new urban amenity for the city. The roof meets the ground along the western edge of the site, allowing access directly from the street to recreational paths that follow the roof as it slopes above the buildings. The paths then span above the streets and connect the green roof sections overhead.

Will was the Associate and Project Manager for The Hills at Vallco while at OLIN.