Following their work on Google's new Mountain View headquarters, BIG and Heatherwick Studio have joined forces once again to collaborate on another office for the tech giant, this time in King's Cross, London. Planning has been submitted to the local council and, assuming all goes well, construction is expected to begin in 2018.
The new headquarters rise to 11 floors. Inside, it will comprise over 1 million sq ft (92,903 sq m) of floorspace, of which Google will occupy around 65 percent, presumably the rest will be rented out.
The building is widely referred to as a "landscraper" in the media and plans show it will be very long, longer even than the Shard is tall – so over 310 m (1,017 ft) at least.
The design is rather more sedate than the Mountain View project, perhaps due to constraints at the site. According to Heatherwick Studio's press release, the HQ will feature a "natural theme," with the renders depicting a huge green roof that looks like a small park.
The Guardian reports that there will be space for 686 bicycles but just four car parking spaces. A roof-based solar panel array will reduce the electricity draw from the grid, while motorized timber blinds will keep out direct sunlight and lower solar heat gain.
We can also expect a long list of amenities to keep Google's employees happy, like a swimming pool, exercise facilities, etc.
"As my home and the home of my studio for more than 15 years, I have a close relationship with King's Cross," says co-designer Thomas Heatherwick. "The area is a fascinating collision of diverse building types and spaces and I can't help but love this mix of massive railway stations, roads, canals and other infrastructure all layered up into the most connected point in London."
Naturally, we expect to learn a lot more about this one as the project progresses.
Sources: BIG, Heatherwick Studio, Camden Council
