This is what Google’s giant new campus looks like


An aerial photo of Google’s Bay View campus. Picture: Google.

This week, Google opened its new 10-hectare Bay View campus outside of Mountain View as the company begins its transition to hybrid working.

The company on Tuesday cut the ribbon for its futuristic new campus, designed to be eco-friendly. It is the first large campus developed by Google, which will accommodate 4,000 employees from the San Francisco Bay Area.

It will also test whether the office is attractive enough for staff as it ushers in its hybrid working experience. In March, Google informed its employees that most of them should return to the office about three days a week starting April 4.

The challenge of bringing Googlers back to work

According to Google, the new campus was designed with an emphasis on “the experience of the people in the building rather than the exterior form”.

“After asking Googlers what they wanted from a workplace, we found that they were happy, productive and creative when they got together as a team, but needed noise-free spaces and movement to focus on their work,” says David Radcliffe, Google vice president of real estate and workplace services, in a blog post.

David Radcliffe explains that the design of the building provides spaces for teams on the upper level and gathering spaces on the second floor covered with a canopy to separate areas of concentration and collaboration.

“The upper floor is divided into small quarters separated by courtyards and connected by ramps which gradually rise as one moves towards the center of the building. This variation in floor space allows teams to have an area that scales with their needs, while remaining close to their larger work community,” he explains.

The new campus uses what is known as a “dragon scale sunskin” on the pavilion-inspired canopy. According to Google, nearby wind farms will supply it with carbon-free energy 90% of the time.

Two kitchens serving seven eating areas are powered by electricity rather than gas. The campus also includes 7 hectares of natural areas, including wet meadows, woodlands and a marsh. Water retention ponds collect water for reuse and provide a nature restoration area. At the same time, a geothermal system is used to heat and cool the campus.

Google began construction of the Bay View complex in 2017. Google is also building another Campus in Mountain View, dubbed the Charleston East project.

According to Palo Alto Online, the campus has themed areas, or “districts,” including the “Turkey Terrace” and “Campfire Corner” meeting rooms, inspired by camping tents.

Google’s back-to-office policy has created friction among some employees, with some articles reporting that staff complained about the April 4 requirements and that Google cut pay for staff moving to less expensive areas.

Other Silicon Valley folks, like Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, have said that “the office as we know it is over.” He says today’s office “has to do something that a house can’t do.”

Source: ZDNet.com





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