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Internet giant Google has secured a prime spot of land in the heart of London to build its new multimillion pound HQ.
The American multinational corporation struck a deal, thought to be worth as much as £1bn ($1.6 billion) when finished, with King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership.
Google’s
new UK hub is just one part of the King’s Cross development, which will
also feature 3.4 million sq ft of workspace, 26 acres of public space,
500,000 sq ft of retail, 10 new public squares, 20 streets and 2,000 new
homes.
The Google deal is a major boost to the transformation of King’s
Cross and is one of the biggest ever commercial acquisitions in the UK.
Relocation of London staff
The new headquarters will provide a state-of-the-art flexible working
environment for Google staff and the move is targeted for 2016.
Employees from Google’s other offices in Victoria and Holborn will
relocate to the new building, which will range in height from seven to
11 storeys.
Google’s vice president for Northern and Central Europe, Matt
Brittin, said: “This is a big investment by Google. We’re committing
further to the UK – where computing and the web were invented. It’s good
news for Google, for London and for the UK.”
The new headquarters will face One and Two Pancras Square, two office
buildings currently under construction by the King’s Cross Central
Limited Partnership, which will be available for occupation from the end
of 2013 and mid 2014 respectively.
Sustainable design concept
Architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)
have developed ‘high quality, sustainable design concepts’ for the new
Google headquarters, which will sit above retail units providing a
diverse range of shops, cafes and restaurants.
Simon Allford from AHMM said: “Working with Google is a special
opportunity to create an innovative new headquarters of scale and
significance that both builds on the King’s Cross rich tradition of
heroic construction, and contributes to the fulfilment of the
development’s visionary master plan.”
Cash-rich Google has more than 70 offices in at least 40 countries
around the globe and unlike most other offices, common internal features
include yurts, video games, pool tables, pianos and fully stocked
‘micro-kitchens’.
Subject to reserved matters approval being received from Camden
Council, construction will start on Google’s new UK headquarters later
this year.
