Google has purchased a further large London site as it aims to grow its UK headcount to 10,000 from 6,400 and create less densely occupied office spaces.
In addition to the 650,000 sq ft 11-storey building under construction in King’s Cross, the web giant has now bought 408,000 sq ft of offices in Central Saint Giles in Bloomsbury for £730m, a building in which it was already renting offices. It will refurbish offices there to bring them up to the standard of the King’s Cross development.
Google’s UK boss Ronan Harris said the investment showed the firm’s faith in the future of the office as a place of work. He said: “We want to reinvigorate the work environment. We’re making this commitment to rebuild. We’re buying these buildings and we’re keen to see everybody come back in and see a vibrant workspace again.”
The offices will be less densely populated than Google’s current arrangements, and will include collaboration spaces and “inclusive meeting rooms for hybrid working” as well as covered outdoor workspaces, the firm said.
Office environment
Eventually Google would like to see its workforce returning to the office for three days a week.
Harris told the BBC: “I think the next two [years] will be an experiment where we try and figure out what hybrid and flexible actually mean. And I think it will differ from company to company and from role to role. I think it’ll be a lot of trial and error over the next two years.”
The Central Saint Giles was designed by architect Renzo Piano, and is located in the centre of the capital, near Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It’s best known for its exuberant colouring, each of its buildings being in hues of green, yellow, orange and red, and houses restaurants, cafes and apartments in addition to offices.
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The King’s Cross building, known as “the landscraper”, will be 330 metres in length, longer than the 310-metre-tall Shard skyscraper.
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