Google’s King’s Cross Campus has taken another step forward as the company recently submitted an application for planning permission to Camden Council.
The London HQ, which will be purpose-built and is designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio, will rise 11 stories and comprise over 1 million sf. Google will occupy 650,000 sf of the new campus. The building will include cafes, gym and pool facilities, a covered multi-use games area, an Events Center, and staff training facilities.
A landscaped roof will include terraces and a walking trail that stretches the length of the building while the ground floor will provide space for retail. “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,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner at BIG, in a release.
The building has been designed from a family of interchangeable elements that allow the headquarters’ workspaces to quickly and easily adapt to change. When combined with the current building at 6 Pancras Square and an additional third building, the new campus has the potential to house up to 7,000 Google employees.
Rendering courtesy of HayesDavidson.
Three main points are laid out about the project’s design in the application’s Executive Summary of Inclusivity:
— The design principles are extremely coherent and aim to produce a building that has a high degree of architectural legibility and therefore ease of use.
— The organization of major floor plates and minor floor plates provides a wide range of features that will assist users in their navigation of what could otherwise be a complex building.
— The ground plane provides a great opportunity for the public to interact with the building, creating permeability and a transition between the private spaces and the public realm.
Rendering courtesy of HayesDavidson.
If the application is approved, the project could break ground in 2018.
You can view the entire application for planning permission here.
Rendering courtesy of HayesDavidson.
Rendering courtesy of HayesDavidson.
Related Stories
| Jun 11, 2012
Hill International selected as CM for Porto Arabia Towers in Qatar
The complex is a mixed-use development featuring both residential and commercial properties.
| Jun 8, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for renovation at Tufts School of Dental Medicine
Project receives LEED Gold certification.
| Jun 6, 2012
KPF designs tower for Yongsan IBD
The master plan, created by Studio Daniel Libeskind, is a dynamic urban environment containing contributions from 19 different architects practicing in diverse locations around the globe.
| Jun 6, 2012
SOM urges Chicago tenants to partner with landlords to cut energy use
Tenants can exceed building energy challenge targets recently announced by Mayor Emanuel.
| Jun 5, 2012
Walker Parking opens office in Abu Dhabi
Walker has been in Abu Dhabi since May 2011 but in a temporary office suite.
| Jun 4, 2012
Brownfield goes green
Chicago Center for Green Technology uses high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers to share its green message and earn LEED credits.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| Jun 1, 2012
Robert Wilson joins SmithGroupJJR
Wilson makes the move to SmithGroupJJR from VOA Associates, Inc., where he served as a senior vice president and technical director in its Chicago office.
| May 31, 2012
5 military construction trends
Defense spending may be down somewhat, but there’s still plenty of project dollars out there if you know where to look.
