Google has submitted the design for its new London office to Camden Council for planning approval. Designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio, the 11-story "groundscraper" design will be located in King's Cross, and will combine with their existing office at 6 Pancras Square and a third, forthcoming building to create a campus for up to 7,000 Google employees.
The images released show a design comprised of stacked layers with shifting heights and protrusions across the long, low-slung building. Materials for the building will be sourced through Google's healthy materials program. The design is a very different take on a campus for the tech giant than the tent-like design proposed by the same design team for Google's Campus in Mountain View, California.
"As my home and the home of my studio for more than 15 years, I have a close relationship with King’s Cross," said Thomas Heatherwick. "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. 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."
"Our design for the new Google Campus at King’s Cross is rooted in the local character of the area, taking advantage of the contextually defined building envelope while creating continuously cascading work environments that will connect Googlers across multiple floors," added Bjarke Ingels. "By opening up the ground floor and activating the roofscape, the light and airy workspaces are sandwiched between the terraced gardens on the roof, and market halls, auditoria and shops on the ground."
News via Google.
