Google Partner Plex Refresh — Mountain View Headquarters
Focus Areas
- Interactive experience design
- Show control systems
- Creative direction
- AV + fabrication integration
- On-site installation management
Overview
The Partner Plex at Google HQ is a high-profile executive experience center used to host global VIPs, enterprise partners, government delegations, and senior leadership including the CEO. The 2020 refresh, themed "Future Motion," reimagined the space as a kinetic, narrative-driven environment showcasing innovation through movement, interaction, and story.
I contributed across both phases of the project:
- Design Phase: Junior Experience Design Lead guiding media, signage, art, furniture, and experience development
- Construction Phase: Technical Program Manager overseeing installation, vendor coordination, show control development, and daily field execution
My Contribution
Design Phase — Junior Experience Design Lead
What I Physically Did
Supported creative direction for all branded graphics and media displayed throughout the center, including digital wayfinding, daily bulletins, and environmental content, and managed the design and fabrication of all signage to ensure cohesive messaging and visual consistency.
Led creative direction, managed artist revisions, and oversaw the full installation of artworks sourced through Google's Artist-in-Residence program, including 2D installations and 3D sculptural pieces.
Contributed to furniture selection, finishes, material palettes, and decorative props that aligned with the Future Motion aesthetic.
Participated in experience design workshops shaping guest pathways, interaction beats, thematic consistency, and narrative pacing for VIP visits.
What Decisions I Made
- Recommended graphic, signage, and motion design treatments that best aligned with the space's energy and storytelling goals.
- Guided artwork selections to ensure they reflected Google's cultural values and the emotional goals of the Future Motion theme.
- Flagged concepts or submissions that were misaligned with the tone, brand guidelines, or expectations of an executive-facing environment.
Construction & Installation Phase — Technical Program Manager
What I Physically Did
Managed the development of a custom show control system, creating wireframes and a show design intent package that translated creative goals into engineering requirements for AV and software teams.
Directed interactive vendors to create the animated lobby logo wall, selecting David Bowie's "Let's Dance" as the audio track and defining the motion choreography, timing, narrative beats, and emotional pacing of the installation.
Oversaw daily on-site installation activities, directing scenic teams, AV integrators, interactive tech vendors, artists, furniture installers, millworkers, and engineers through all phases of build and commissioning.
Created and managed the internal punchlist and the day-two list of enhancements and add-ons budgeted for post-opening, delivering these items directly to stakeholders.
Coordinated functional testing, content syncing, sensor calibration, and system commissioning for interactive elements.
Developed monthly construction + design updates for executive stakeholders, ensuring alignment and transparency across all phases.
What Decisions I Made
- Determined installation sequencing to eliminate cross-trade conflicts and maintain schedule integrity.
- Made real-time field adjustments to preserve design intent, premium finish quality, and seamless digital-physical integration.
- Guided AV and interactive vendors toward timing and motion choices consistent with the Future Motion concept.
What Problems I Solved
- Resolved hardware-to-scenic fit issues before installation caused visual or functional gaps.
- Bridged communication between engineers, fabricators, artists, and programmers when technical or creative expectations diverged.
- Corrected content timing, playback, and sync issues that affected the polished tone required for VIP audiences.
- Re-sequenced overlapping vendor schedules to maintain momentum during critical install milestones.
- Protected the intended guest journey by flagging misaligned art, signage, or media during design and installation.
- Navigated a sensitive creative conflict with an Artist-in-Residence contributor whose concept—while meaningful—was not appropriate for an executive-facing space. By leading an open conversation about the intent of the installation, Google's equity commitments, and the way VIP audiences interpret visual messaging, I successfully guided the artist toward a revised concept that honored their intent while aligning with the center's purpose.
Who I Coordinated With
- Google experience design & brand teams
- UX prototypers and engineers
- Interactive programming vendors
- AV integrators and tech partners
- Scenic fabricators & millworkers
- Google Artist-in-Residence program
- Google facilities + global real estate
- GC & construction superintendent
- Executive stakeholders
My Hero Moment
During installation, I took ownership of creative direction for the animated lobby logo wall after identifying the need for a stronger emotional anchor. I proposed using David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and directed the interactive vendor team to choreograph the wall's motion and pacing around the music.
This transformed the installation into a signature moment for the center and became one of the most memorable Future Motion experiences.
What This Project Taught Me
This project taught me how to merge creative direction, technical execution, and stakeholder expectations inside a high-visibility corporate environment. I learned how to build show control systems, direct digital-physical experiences, manage on-site installation workflows, and advocate for narrative clarity in spaces designed for VIP audiences.
It strengthened my confidence as both a creative and technical leader and deepened my ability to deliver polished, high-impact experiential environments.