The American technology company celebrated the “return” of its new headquarters in the United Kingdom as the final beam was raised in its place on Friday, marking the end of the large construction of its horizontal skyscraper, nicknamed “horizontal”. Stuck between – and high – at the capital’s King’s Cross and St Pancras Railway Stations, the major construction work on Google’s new office building has been completed. The facade also takes shape as the metal frame is filled with giant glass and wooden panels. Google’s new landscape building at King’s Cross in north London is located on Main Rail and Station. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian Dominating the area of King’s Cross just south of the Regent Canal, the skyscraper is 72 meters high at its highest point and extends to 330 meters, making it the tallest 310 meters high Shard skyscraper. The ground was first broken in landscape work in 2017 and Google now calls the building a show of confidence to return to work after the pandemic, although others have described the 1 1 billion project as the embodiment of the work world before from Covid. “Looking at what we’ve achieved over the last five years, despite the difficult conditions along the way, has been really great,” said Ronan Harris, CEO of Google in the United Kingdom and Ireland. As attendees drank non-alcoholic Pimm’s and snacked on sofas, the building’s last steel beam was signed by Harris and others, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and local MP Keir Starmer. It was then lifted into place by a crane, one of six still working on the 92,000-square-foot (990,000-square-foot) building. Keir Starmer speaks at the closing ceremony. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian The project is the first building owned by Google and designed outside the US, and Khan welcomed the view of the City of London skyline visible from the site. “This project represents a real vote of confidence in London, in our communities and in our thriving technology sector,” said the mayor. Google is not expected to move into the 11-story building – designed in the studios of Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels – until sometime in 2024. When that business day comes, 4,000 employees will move into their offices there, taking advantage of amenities such as a 25-meter pool on the ninth floor and a Muga – multipurpose play area – where Google employees can play basketball. five-a-side football or tennis. Ronan Harris, Google CEO for the United Kingdom and Ireland, talks to the towers of the City of London in the background Photo: Martin Godwin / The Guardian About 40,000 tons of soil will be transferred to the rooftop garden, which stretches the entire length of the building and where 250 trees will be planted. The plot will also include a community area for use by locals, as well as ground floor retail units, some of which he says he will rent to small and emerging British brands. Four-fifths of the building is hung from its steel frame, which means that there are no internal pillars or columns that carry weight inside, giving the company a large open and flexible space on each floor. The “landscaper” as envisioned by the designers. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian A single, continuously suspended staircase extends from the ground floor to the top of the building, which the company says is designed to encourage employee interaction. “I think there is really tremendous value in ensuring that we spend this time together,” Harris said. “The spontaneous nature of the way people work and collaborate offers a wealth that is difficult to make through video conferencing alone.” Not all Google staff in the UK will be based in the flagship office building, as it will not have the capacity. Google employs around 6,400 people in the UK and has set a target of 10,000. Its staff is currently based in two nearby rental buildings at King’s Cross and the Central Saint Giles development near Oxford Street in the center of the capital. A single, continuously suspended staircase extends from the ground floor to the top of the building, which the company says was designed to encourage staff interaction. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian In January, Google announced a $ 1 billion (87 871 million) deal to purchase the bright Central Saint Giles color project designed by architect Renzo Piano. Prior to the purchase, the company already rented office space on the site, which also houses more than 100 residential apartments, as well as restaurants and cafes on the ground floor. The company’s commitment to office buildings comes at a time when many large companies are still weighing how much and what kind of space they will need after Covid. Perhaps paradoxically, Google – like many other global tech companies – has decided not to take full-time post-pandemic work, opting for a hybrid approach instead. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced last year that the company’s post-Covid business policy would make most staff spend three days in the office “and two days working best.” 20% of Google’s global workforce will work permanently from home. Subscribe to the Business Email daily email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk The landscaping project was first designed long before the pandemic, but Google insists the ownership of the building and the development of Central Saint Giles will allow it to adapt the space to its future needs. “We all learn about new ways of working and what kind of space we will need in the future, but that gives us the flexibility with a very low carbon footprint to be able to redesign spaces in a very short amount of time,” Harris said. As employees returned to the office, Harris said, they sought more collaboration space than office banks. “It is constantly evolving and we are currently consulting with our teams internally to understand what type of space they need,” he said.
