A Redwood City-based construction management firm has opened a major regional prefab hub in Santa Clara.

In early February, DPR Construction held a ribbon-cutting at its newest campus, located at 5201 Patrick Henry Dr. DPR builds ready-made construction materials such as drywall, doors, frames, tile, concrete and finished carpentry.

Kevin Chen, DPR’s Bay Area co-business unit leader, said DPR’s goal is to make every employee feel at home, increasing connectivity among every level of the industry.

“This is going to help anchor and bring so much positivity for the industry as a whole,” he said.

“This new headquarters is symbolic in nature for us.”

The nearly 114,000-sq. ft. campus repurposes the iconic wedge-shaped building — formerly a major campus for floppy-disk manufacturer Dysan — uniting regional and corporate operations. With 68,000 sq. ft. of office space and 46,000 sq. ft. of fabrication space, the campus brings a variety of area teams together, centralizing operations.

Guided by the principles “Celebrate the Work,” “A Place for Everybody” and “Safety, Productivity, Delight,” DPR’s Silicon Valley office aims to foster collaboration and spark innovation among the company’s various branches. 

Designed to align with lean manufacturing trends, the space improves safety, quality and productivity while reducing jobsite congestion and scheduling mix-ups. Further, abundant natural light and year-round use help prevent weather disruptions, allowing for predictable, consistent results.

“You are saving on time. You are more productive. There is cost savings,” Chen said. “If we can create a space that allows work to be done safer and better … that’s a really cool vision.”

Incubating, retaining and attracting new talent is easier when departments aren’t siloed, Chen said. 

Sustainability was also a goal from the outset. In addition to reusing the existing three-story office building, the project incorporates mass timber construction along with low-carbon concrete mixes that reduce emissions by 38%.

DPR has positioned the building to achieve, at minimum, net zero energy, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold and WELL Certified Gold. Additionally, DPR is targeting net-zero carbon certification, a first for DPR.

Chen said DPR believes construction can be “modern” and “forward-thinking.”

The campus is programmed to host 150 employees. Presently, only about 100 are housed there. 

“You can feel the energy here,” Chen said. “We are humming at a very high level right now.”

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com 

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