Despite the rise of remote work due to the pandemic,
Google has reiterated its commitment to complete its $1 billion London headquarters at King's
Cross London. In this video, we will show you what will be inside Google’s New $1 billion
London headquarters and what the future holds for tech companies.
Google has said that it will not abandon its Headquarters project in London valued at $1
billion. Many had feared that the tech company would abandon the project after it allowed a
significant section of its global staff to work from home due to the covid pandemic.
With remote working seeing a spike all over the world, many had feared that the project would
lose relevance and that the tech giant would no longer view the headquarters as a priority.
However, in a statement released to the media, the tech company has squashed the rumor.
The headquarters is called the “Land Scraper'' and will house
thousands of workers once it’s complete. Currently, over 4,500 employees in its UK arm
work from home but the plan will be to move them all into the Landscraper once it is
complete. For now, remote workers will remain at home and work from there until July 2021.
But Google has not yet opened any of its five offices in the UK for business so we just might
witness an extension of the timeframe for remote workers. Construction has already
re-commenced at the site in King's Cross but no new information is forthcoming as to when the
building will be complete. Also, no date has been given as to when it will be open for business.
The Landscraper is indeed a gigantic edifice with the capacity to house more than 7,000 workers,
which is far above the 4,500 workers Google UK currently has. Many believe that the establishment
of a Google campus in the area will result in a fast development of the place and turn it into a
tech hub similar to Silicon Valley in California. We see this possibility already taking shape with
Facebook, The company is planning to develop its own headquarters in King's Cross as well.
Although Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has said that staff will continue to work remotely for the
foreseeable future, Facebook is still pushing ahead with its own plans just like Google.
The new headquarters is called the Landscraper and it stretches for 330 meters and is longer than
the 310 meters Shard Skyscraper located along the metro line that runs across Kings Cross.
The building was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels inside the Thomas Heatherwick
Studios. The Studio and Ingels also designed Google’s Mountain View headquarters in California
so this is an architect with a vast experience when it comes to designing skyscrapers.
The Landscaper will have 11 Storeys with a roof garden at the top.
There will be a 25 meter swimming pool, nap pods for staff and an indoor basketball court. It is
also important to note that the Landscaper will be exclusive for the UK’s staff and not Google’s
global staff numbering more than 118,000. Construction of the Zone commenced in 2018 after
an earlier plan with AHMM was scrapped in 2013. The final cost of the project will cost more than
$1 billion and will sit on a land that is 80,819 square miles. There will be Plinth
shops and offices with ground floor entries and exits with the offices connected to each other.
The idea behind the design is to create a varied and open space that can be modified with time.
In a statement released by Thomas Heatherwick, he said that he had been inspired by the site for the
Landscraper which also serves as a transport hub with transport links. In a statement, he said
“The area is a fascinating collision of diverse building types and spaces and I can’t help but
love this mix of massive railway stations, roads, canals and other infrastructure all layered up
into the most connected point in London,” said Heatherwick. “Influenced by these surroundings,
we have treated this new building for Google like a piece of infrastructure too,
made from a family of interchangeable elements which ensure that the building and its workspace
will stay flexible for years to come.” So What will be inside the Landscraper?
The Landscraper will contain all the amenities one will expect in a 21st century building.
The developer plans to create meeting rooms, cafes, a 3-lane 25 meters swimming pool,
multi games area, massage parlours, and indoor sport venues for basketball and football. There
will be a 210-seat auditorium for product reviews and announcements. The garden roof at the top will
be divided into different zones. There will be a pause area with woodland plants and wildflowers,
a trip trail for runners and a café. Before now, Google staff were scattered across
different locations around London including in properties within the King's Cross area.
One of the buildings nearby is the 7 Pancras square which is home to one of its subsidiaries,
called DeepMind. The long term vision of Google is to bring all its staff under one roof.
The Landscraper will be the first building outside of the US owned by Google. What’s
more? The building is solely designed for the tech giant. To further throw more
light on the company’s long term vision, the executive CEO, Sundar Pichai said,
“Here in the UK, it’s clear to me that computer science has a great future with the talent,
educational institutions, and passion for innovation we see all around us. We are
committed to the UK and excited to continue our investment in our new King’s Cross campus.”
The fascinating thing about Google’s Landscraper that seems to be attracting the attention of town
planners and construction engineers is not the cost of the project per say. Rather, it is the
feature of the building. Industry stakeholders are of the opinion that high skyscrapers built
in open spaces will become a common feature in the coming years. High rise buildings will
also be designed in such a way as to allow for the safe delivery of items by drones.
The new skyscraper designs will also have elevators that move back and forth, not just
up and down. For example, ThyssenKrup, an elevator manufacturer in Germany recently sold its first
ever elevator that moves sideways and diagonally. The elevator is controlled by a levitation magnet.
We expect to see the same technology deployed at Google’s Landscraper so staff can quickly move
from one end of the building to another. Another feature that will influence designs moving into
the future is the issue of climate change. As global warming continues to be an issue,
it is already evident that traditional designs will no longer be feasible because
the interiors of such buildings will become too hot despite the installation of HVAC systems.
We expect the Landscraper to have climate friendly features.
Wide windows and broader loops for natural air to flow. Even the HVAC systems will have
to be designed differently to meet the pressing challenges of climate change.
So in this regard, Google may actually be a trendsetter even if they don’t know it yet.
It’s multi-tier building, once completed, will be a stunning sight to behold with its rooftop
gardens, indoor basketball and football courts, spa rooms and swimming pools.
Google’s Landscraper maybe far from completion but it has already set tongues wagging. With a plan to
house all its staff numbering several thousands under a single roof, we expect the building to be
a gigantic edifice. Already, Facebook and other tech giants with plans to expand outside the
US are expected to follow suit and unveil their own skyscraper headquarters similar to Google’s.
When completed, King's Cross outlook will be transformed and the entire area will be
better for it. That is exactly what a $1 billion investment can do to a location.
So what do you think about this remarkable google project? Let us know in the comments section
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