While the news broke over summer of Google’s plans to build a stunning new London headquarters, it now has the go-ahead to start its construction in King’s Cross in 2018. The building dubbed as the “landscraper” is said will be 11 storeys high and will cover over 1 million square feet with Google taking around 65% of the overall space initially.
It was back in June of this year when Google officially submitted the plans for their new headquarters designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and Thomas Heatherwick Studios. If you haven’t heard of Bjarke Ingels or Heatherwick, then you might be more familiar with some of their previous work which includes the new London bus design. The plans were submitted to Camden borough council and mark a historic point for Google as they will keep full ownership of the buildings, their first time stepping on the property ladder in the UK.
These plans were submitted for approval just two years after boss Larry Page ordered the previous plans to be ripped up because they were too “boring” and went on to employ Ingels and Heatherwick to design the plans which have now been approved.
The cost of the new Google HQ is thought to be around £1bn, the building will include, offices for Google staff, indoor three-lane swimming pool, multi-use indoor sports pitch, a rooftop garden with fields plated with gooseberries, strawberries and sage. This will allow ‘Googlers’ to relax and escape from work.
There will also be plenty of places for staff to take their lunch break with Google providing an impressive four eateries. The primary food court will cover an amazing 3 floors, with a stunning view over the historic Kings Cross station.
There will be space for around 686 bikes and only 4 car parking spaces in a bid to boost sustainability as well as solar panels on the roof which will create a combined annual output of 20MWh.
Currently, Googles staff are situated in several different sites around London, including other properties in the Kings Cross area. The new headquarters will bring all the Googlers into one campus.
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and Heatherwick Studios, the new Google HQ will be longer than The Shard is tall. The building will house around 7,000 Google employees.
The American based web giant is obviously feeling very confident in the British economy, even after its decision to leave the EU back in June 2016. Their plans for a new London headquarters are a sure sign of confidence in the United Kingdom and its future with Google.
Previous Post
Significant Increase in Female Self-Employment
