Santa Clara’s Newest Neighborhood — the Clara District — is Coming to Life
The design of The Clara, a new 508-unit apartment building offering studios to three-bedrooms, establishes a connection to the surrounding environment, from the Diablo range to the Santa Cruz mountains and Pacific Ocean beyond.
"At the center of the neighborhood is The Clara — a 508-unit luxury apartment complex from Related California. At 22 stories, it’s Santa Clara’s tallest building and rivals other high-rise residential developments in downtown San Jose."
The Clara mixed-use development is a significant opportunity to redefine a large portion of an existing light industrial area into a high-density residential neighborhood in Silicon Valley. At the heart of the district, The Clara, a new 508-unit apartment building led by Related California, responds to overarching goals of creating a community with warmth and scale that responds to both the history and aspirations of the region.
In a recent Mercury News article, writer Grace Hase explores Santa Clara’s “newest urban neighborhood,” including The Clara, which consists of a 22-story tower and 8-story mid-rise podium that incorporates retail and seven levels of parking. The overall building massing is organized as a series of layers, responding to the desire for neighborhood scale and vibrancy, as well as panoramic views from apartment units above. A highly transparent retail storefront provides an engaging urban edge, allowing a mix of ground floor uses to spill into the public realm. The crystalline tower form, with a facade of vision and spandrel glass, rises from the podium base and provides dramatic views of downtown San Jose, the Bay, and the Santa Cruz and Diablo ranges, while functioning as a landmark for this emerging neighborhood.
Among The Clara’s residential amenities are a pool, indoor and outdoor fitness zones, barbecue pits, and bocce courts, as well as a spa and wellness center. A residence club on the 22nd floor provides a large entertaining space, with a media room, library, bar and lounge, dining room, and gaming room. “It has been a great pleasure working with Related to establish a new precedent for high-rise living in Silicon Valley,” noted BCJ Principal David Miller, AIA. “Inspired by urban and natural context, the design of The Clara creates elevated residential and amenity environments that have an intrinsic connection to their surroundings.”
Led by Related California, the project team for The Clara includes Steinberg Hart, Surface Design, and AvroKO.