Set within the public landscape surrounding Google’s new headquarters in Mountain View, Halo rises gently above the terrain, visible from nearby traffic corridors just above the tree line. The pavilion presents itself as a simple cylindrical form with no clear front or back, encouraging movement around it rather than approach from a single direction. From a distance it reads as calm and restrained; up close, it unfolds through motion and discovery.

As visitors approach, arches of varying sizes pierce the base of the cylinder, offering partial glimpses into the interior and creating moments of compression and release. These openings generate unexpected cantilevers and shifting perspectives, allowing the experience of Halo to build gradually before entry. The exterior remains deliberately quiet, clad in vertical aluminum tubes that unify the form and allow it to sit lightly within the landscape.

Crossing the threshold introduces a sharp spatial shift. Inside Halo, a crystalline structure clad in dichroic acrylic transforms the interior into a faceted, luminous environment—like a geode revealed within a simple shell. The contrast between exterior restraint and interior complexity heightens the sense of transition.

During the day, sunlight enters through the open top and reflects across iridescent facets, casting shifting tones of orange, yellow, and green onto visitors and the ground beneath them. As people move through the space, the filtered light changes with viewing angle, animating both surfaces and bodies.

At night, integrated LEDs illuminate Halo from within, refracting through the crystalline interior and shifting the palette to greens, blues, and purples. Across day and night, Halo operates as a moment of pause—an atmospheric space for recalibration, reflection, and shared experience within the campus landscape.

Engineers: ARUP
Photos: Alan Tansey

Find out more about the process:
Noise and Pixel Mapping
Cell structure
Photos of the installation
Model Photos