flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New flight pattern: Google, Spruce Goose

Reconstruction Awards

New flight pattern: Google, Spruce Goose

The hangar that once housed the Spruce Goose is adapted to meet a tech giant’s workplace needs.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | December 12, 2019
Google, Spruce Goose

Photo: Connie Zhou

Since 2016, Google has leased the seven-story, 750-foot-long hangar where, in 1943, Howard Hughes housed his all-wood-body Hercules IV airplane, the “Spruce Goose.”

The project team recreated this space into a four-story building within a building comprised of office, meeting, and event areas, as well as employee amenities, which unify the existing campus.

The hangar’s original 75-foot-high glulam arches and wood sidings were preserved and exposed to the interior. Twenty thousand three-foot-long, half-inch-diameter screws secure the arches and wood structure. The all-wood spine that supports the ceiling was deconstructed and rebuilt with noncombustible materials that were reclad with refurbished wood panels.

The project’s complexity included running six miles of conduit underground around 1,500 piles.

To promote user engagement, the main circulation on each level was formed into a zigzag, bridging the spine and two sides of the hangar. A “boardwalk” connects the interior structure from the ground floor to the third level.

 

HONORABLE MENTION

BUILDING TEAM ZGF Architects (submitting firm, architect) Google (owner/developer) Arup (SE, MEP) MATT Construction (GC, CM) DETAILS 450,000 sf Total cost Confidential Construction time August 2016 to July 2018 Delivery method CM at risk

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 25, 2019

The University of Chicago Harris School at the Keller Center

Project team goes all out for LEED Platinum and the Living Building Challenge.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 22, 2019

Let there be light: Union Station Great Hall

What’s the cure for a leaky skylight? Another skylight built above it, of course.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 21, 2019

Temporary quarters: Senate of Canada Building

Canada’s Senate gets an interim home in what was once the capital’s main train station.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 19, 2019

Springfield Technical Community College: Goodbye to 'the shuffle'

College unites student services under one roof.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 18, 2019

The Paint Factory: Not just a new coat of paint

An enlightened A/E firm is spurring redevelopment in an old industrial section of Little Rock.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 15, 2019

Back on track: Union Terminal renovation and restoration

Painstaking care went into restoring Cincinnati’s train terminal/museum complex.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2019

Museum at the Gateway Arch: Subterranean sensation

The project team used its creativity to overcome floods and other obstacles to construction.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 13, 2019

Zachry Engineering Education Complex: Rethinking engineering education

Texas A&M’s engineering school builds for future growth.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 12, 2019

Linode Headquarters: High-tech + historic

New headquarters mixes old and new to help this fast-growth company attract top talent.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2019

Woolworth Tower Residences: What a view!

The one-time tallest building in the world is now home to an exclusive residential clientele.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021