Earlier in the week it was revealed that Google has been exploring a plan to build a new headquarters, as they would be seeking to outfit themselves with a new campus that would be more prepared to to quip them for future growth, both in space for the companies projects as well as employees. While the proposals are anything but approved at the moment,(see our earlier article which touches on the subject of Google’s proposal potentially worrying some Mountain View city council members)but when we first heard about the potential new HQ buildings the designs for them were described as having canopy like tops.
Now Google’s designs for the new campus have surfaced in some mocked up renders and they’re nothing if not a wonder to look at. The designs appear to have canopy tops and shape just as described earlier in the week, and if the building gets approved when it’s all finished the walls will be made mostly of glass giving things a much more open feel. It will also give anyone inside the ability to see out at the surrounding landscape. Just by looking at the images then entire design has a very futuristic look to it, with lots of curved edges and a very transparent appeal.
While the design looks like something you might see in Minority Report, which is cool, it’s also being reported that the design will serve a functional purpose, so it won’t be all about aesthetics. According to the reports the plans for the buildings will have flexible portions affixed to permanent steel beams which can be adjusted to fit specific projects, essentially turning Google’s new headquarters into a giant transformer whenever they need to alter a space for certain things. Normally altering spaces inside of Google’s current campus is said to take months to accomplish, where this new campus design would potentially allow for an adjustment in a hours. The new campus would cover four new sites in Mountain View, and take up a total area of about 3.4 million square feet.
The design firm tasked to come up with Google’s new campus looks is London based design firm Heatherwick Studios, who is also responsible for the renders. Google has also reportedly hired Danish architect Barjke Ingels to help build it in the area of the North Bayshore district according to the journal. It’s still up in the air whether or not Google will be granted the go ahead to build this new campus, partially because they’re not the only ones interested in expanding and are competing with other tech companies for space. However, they’re reportedly coming up with ways to entice the city council to approve their plans, like a dedicated sprawling bike bridge that stretches out over highway 101, which is part of a package of public benefits that Google is valuing at around $200 million. Take a look at the renders below and see what you think of Google’s potential new headquarters.
