Business

Futuristic design: Google to blur distinction between building, nature

Afp March 01, 2015

Google said its new design is aimed at “rethinking office space” and will “lead to a better way of workin”. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: Google unveiled plans for a new campus headquarters, integrating wildlife and sweeping waterways, aiming to make a big statement in Silicon Valley which is already seeing ambitious projects from Apple and Facebook.

The design includes lush public gardens, looping covered bikeways and futuristic-looking buildings that can be moved about like toy blocks.

The redesign on the Google property in Mountain View, California, by Danish Architect Bjarke Ingels and London-based Thomas Heatherwick, was submitted to local officials Friday, with details released on the company’s official blog.

The latest huge design project in Silicon Valley comes as Apple is in the midst of building its “spaceship” campus and Facebook is using renowned architect Frank Gehry for its campus expansion.

Google said its new design is aimed at “rethinking office space” and will “lead to a better way of workin”.

“As we’ve inhabited a variety of workplaces, including a garage in Menlo Park (California), a farmhouse in Denmark and an entire New York city block, we’ve learned something about what makes an office space great,” Google Real Estate Vice President David Radcliffe said in a blog post.

“Instead of constructing immoveable concrete buildings, we’ll create lightweight block-like structures which can be moved around easily as we invest in new product areas,” he added.

The plan includes large canopies over the campus which regulates climate, pollution, and sound, while freeing spaces from traditional architectural limitations like walls, windows and roofs. “It aims to blur the distinction between our buildings and nature,” added Radcliffe.

One rendering shows a loop for bicycles and pedestrians going through the centre of one building, connecting with cafes and local shops.

The New York Times, which first reported on the Google campus plan this week, said the project has raised concerns in the once-sleepy community of Mountain View about being overrun by the technology behemoth. The expansion of the tech giants in the region has led to increased congestion as well as an explosion in the area’s real estate prices.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2015.

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