The Dean | Mountain View, CA

On San Antonio Road in Mountain View, a 5.75-acre site held the chance to become something far larger than a single building: a residential neighborhood with room to breathe and a link to public open space. Prometheus envisioned 583 homes on the property, a substantial addition to the city's supply of homes.

Realizing that vision at this scale meant solving for density, parking and livability all at once. The design places several five-story Type IIIA residential buildings above a full-site Type IA podium, a layered approach that demands careful coordination between construction types and between what happens below grade and what residents experience above. BDE Architecture served as Architect of Record, carrying the work from schematic design and design development through construction documents and construction administration, building on an entitlements phase completed with Studio T-Square.

Completed in 2020, The Dean turns the roof of its garage into a landscaped amenity space and paseo that will ultimately connect to a new city park. Residents gain shared outdoor rooms at their doorstep, and Mountain View gains a walkable thread between new homes and future public green space.

Address: 400 San Antonio Rd, Mountain View, CA 94040

Client: Prometheus

Number of Units: 583

Construction Type: IIIA / IA

Year Completed: 2020

Photographers: James Ellerker (interior) & Lucas Fladzinski (exterior)

Modern multi-story apartment building with glass balconies lined along a city street at dusk, with trees and streetlights in the foreground.
Modern lounge area with peach-colored curved banquette seating, round tables, and decorative pillows. Large windows with daylight, a pool table with balls, a wall-mounted TV, and wooden acoustic panels on the wall. A contemporary chandelier hanging f
Modern kitchen with a large black island, five orange chairs, wooden shelves, and glass sliding doors opening to an outdoor area.
Modern living room with blue armchair, black sofa, red patterned rug, round white coffee tables, artwork on the wall, and an open kitchen with dark wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
Modern apartment buildings with balconies and ground-level retail shops, lit up at dusk with string lights and landscaped area in front.
Modern apartment complex outdoor walkway with benches and greenery
Modern multi-story apartment building with glass balconies, situated on a city street during dusk with trees and street lights.