Google may soon be opening its new UK headquarters at King’s Cross in London, but the company apparently has no inclination to move its startup hub, known as Campus, to the new location any time soon. This was reportedly disclosed on Wednesday by the head of Campus at Google, Ms. Sarah Drinkwater. According to a report published on Wednesday by Business Insider, Ms. Drinkwater unequivocally rejected any talk of Campus moving to the brand new Google HQ at King’s Cross, insisting that the startup hub will continue to operate out of its East London premises. The new HQ is reportedly being designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick after co-founder and CEO Mr. Larry Page reportedly dismissed as ‘boring’ a previous proposal by British architecture firm Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).
Ms. Drinkwater was speaking at the launch of the London chapter of ‘Girls in Tech’, which is a mentoring program for women in technology, and is backed by high-level female executives from technology behemoths like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Sony and Accenture, among other highly visible tech companies. According to her, “Campus is very happy at Bonhill Street. King’s Cross is a very exciting and popular area but having seen the East End grow and the density of Shoreditch, it’s really exciting for us. I was at Ozone (coffee shop) this morning and I saw five different people that work in this field. That’s what’s exciting”.
Google currently operates out of three different locations in London itself, including the ‘Campus’ in Shoreditch. Two of its other offices in London are located at Tottenham Court Road and Victoria, both of which are likely to be vacated in favor of the upcoming HQ, which is coming up just behind the King’s Cross tube (subway) station at a reported cost of a billion Pound Sterling ($1.5 billion). The American internet giant also operates a fourth office in the country at Oxford Street in the north-western city of Manchester. As for the upcoming HQ, Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence division has apparently already shifted to the new facility at King’s Cross, with all its 150 odd staff members. Other, larger units, with significantly more staff are expected to follow suit once the building is completed and ready for primetime.