The project: The Adobe Founder’s Tower pedestrian bridge is an iconic feature of Adobe’s campus in San Jose, California. The bridge extends over San Fernando Street to connect the new Founder’s Tower of Adobe’s headquarters to the existing campus, enhancing accessibility and promoting a walkable environment.

The goal: Connect the seventh levels of the two separate buildings.

Design approach: Gravity and seismic loads for the bridge were determined according to ASCE 7-16 specification. The gravity carrying system of the bridge consists of steel spatial truss with composite concrete deck on top. The steel truss is supported by a reinforced concrete abutment at the north end and two intermediate steel column bents. The south end of the bridge cantilevers 40’ out towards the existing building, providing a walkable surface without relying on the existing building for lateral or gravity support.

Challenge: The bridge’s concrete foundations required the seven-foot diameter concrete drilled piers to be drilled 50 feet deep, in between existing power supply lines and water and sewer pipes. This limited the location of the columns and the size of
the footings, but because the bridge connects a new building to an existing building, engineers were also limited in their column placement and knew the bridge couldn’t be perfectly aligned over the top of the columns due to their required placement.

Solution: The engineers’ solution included attaching the large, steel built-up columns to a cap beam under the bridge, essentially using a two-directional truss that fits on top and sits on the bearing pads on top of the columns. This is then rigidly connected to the new building and the cantilevers on the existing building without touching the existing building itself.

The outcome: The first of its kind in downtown San Jose, the pedestrian bridge is an integral part in connecting Adobe employees as the company grows.