Element Santa Clara Hotel Design

Element Santa Clara is a reflection of its natural environment, featuring unique design elements that blur the lines between indoor and outdoor space. The AXIS/GFA design is LEED® Silver Certified, and includes unique touches that serve not just to mirror the beauty of Santa Clara but to help protect it.

Location:

Santa Clara, California

Client:

Washington Holdings

Scale:

175 guest rooms and 1,400 square feet of meeting space over five stories

Helping to address Silicon Valley’s persistent need for more hotel rooms, the AXIS/GFA-designed Element Santa Clara features 175 extended stay guest suites and a boutique feel that skillfully articulates Element Hotels’ eco-inspired brand.

The design was inspired by Santa Clara’s unique surrounding natural environment, with the central feature a lobby and reception area that seamlessly fuses with the hotel’s outdoor spaces. The u-shaped footprint of the building naturally creates a central pool deck and outdoor lounge space, while the hotel’s indoor lounge and dining area blur the indoor/outdoor boundary, inviting guests to explore the outdoor living area while at the same time drawing the surrounding natural environment into the hotel’s interior. 

On the exterior, organic materials such as wood siding emphasize the hotel’s homey extended stay purpose, while at the same time accenting Element Hotels’ sustainability mission. To further celebrate its natural surroundings, Element Santa Clara is LEED® Silver Certified, and includes in-room water filtration systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and on-property recycling stations.

This project was developed by Washington Holdings and managed by Evolution Hospitality, with credit to Linda Snyder and Associates for their interior design expertise. Credit also to landscape architects SMITH+SMITH.