The pandemic has seen us protagonists of numerous changes in the workplace. Many professions, which did not require the physical presence of professionals in certain contexts, had to adapt to the times by adopting smart working . The return to the offices is in progress. All companies are preparing for the return of employees to various locations. Among these is Google , which bought new buildings for this purpose in mid-January. It is a structure located in London, designed by Renzo Piano and which houses the British secret services, but also NBCUniversal and MindShare .
Google's new office is Central Saint Giles and is located near Oxford Street , one of the most famous and visited shopping streets in the world, in the English capital . The structure is made up of different buildings, whose peculiarity is the color of the 134 thousand glazed tiles that cover them: red, yellow, green and orange. The complex of tall buildings 15 floors cost the Mountain View company well 874 million pounds (a figure that corresponds to more than one billion euros) . This is the first project of the famous architect in England. The Central Saint Giles includes 38 thousand square meters of offices that can accommodate up to 10 thousand professionals, but not only. Inside there are more than 100 apartments, 25 thousand square meters of restaurants and cafes, a square, 17 thousand square meters of terraces and open spaces.
“The architectural challenge was to create a development that would bring heart and soul to this rich part of London's urban fabric. The high level of transparency and accessibility ) will make this not only a great place to work, but a great place to work together “said architect Renzo Piano about the building complex.
The Central Saint Giles is a structure attentive to the environment and sustainability . According to what is reported on the official website about the green aspect of the architectural complex: 60% of the rainwater that falls on the roofs of the offices and on the square is collected and used; 100% of the discharged cooling tower water will be collected for reuse; green roofs and hanging gardens mitigate rainfall and heat build-up, and have an ecological benefit. In addition, it is equipped with a biomass boiler system.
The buildings in question were inaugurated in 2010 and until mid-January were owned by Legal & General Group and Mitsubishi Estate . Google already occupied 40% of it and in the next few years work will start inside it to modernize the spaces and adapt them to the taste and needs of the company. The goal announced by Google is to create flexible environments, with outdoor work areas. On returning to the office, the vice president and managing director of Google UK and Ireland, Ronan Harris, stated that these are useful spaces “ where you can collaborate and get in touch in person “. The Californian company continues its expansion and in the United Kingdom alone it has continued to hire increasing the number of employees , which at the moment is around 6400 . “While most of our UK employees want to be on site for some time, they also want the flexibility to work from home a couple of days a week. Some of our people will want to be completely remote. Our future job in the UK or has room for all these possibilities “explained Harris.
Google continues to invest in the UK . This acquisition reflects “the constant confidence that the office is a place for collaboration and personal communication”, as stated by the company. The purchase of Central Saint Giles is not an isolated act. The US giant continues its expansion in London . In fact, a new headquarters is under construction which is located near the King's Cross railway station . According to the plans, it will be 11 floors high and will have a total area of 90 thousand square meters. In addition, there will be: a 25-meter swimming pool, massage rooms, a basketball court and a garden . Construction was entrusted to Bjarke Ingels Group (Big) , a Danish-based studio that is known for creative projects.
