Google’s New HQ to Be Built Using Prefab Construction

Google unveiled a plan to redevelop its headquarters campus on Friday, proposing to convert non-descript office buildings into an enclave of signature tent-shaped glass-and-metal structures built with modular construction.

The plans, created by London design firm Heatherwick Studio and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, would add about 2.5 million square feet to Google’s existing four-million-square-foot campus in Mountain View, Calif. The additional space would accommodate an additional 10,000 employees, on top of the 20,000 who work at the headquarters complex now.

Google’s planned new buildings are modular, so interior walls can be moved to change the size and shape of rooms. This would give Google flexibility to alter work areas as its needs change. For example, two smaller modular offices could be merged together to create another conference room, which fits in perfectly with the versatile and fluent Google corporate culture.The design features about 30 acres of parks and other green areas, along with retail space to make the campus feel more like a neighborhood. Parking lots outside most Google buildings will be consolidated into one parking area that will be mostly underground.

It’s no surprise Google is moving forward with the modular construction movement.

The plans are an example of Google’s broader ambition to turn Google from a search engine into a diverse technology powerhouse with interests in cars, healthcare and robotics. The plans need approval by Mountain View authorities, which likely will take more than a year. “It’s going to be a bold and very innovative campus,” said Ken Rosenberg, a member of Mountain View’s City Council. “There’s a tremendous amount of glass so you will feel like you’re outside when you’re inside.”

OFF SITE CONSTRUCTION – Prefab and Modular Construction, new construction development jobs are said to experience additional benefits of employing these methods as listed below. In fact, McGraw-Hill states that modular is the fastest growing area in the new construction and the market for Prefab and Modular Construction with 49% of respondents claiming that they are using it their facilities.

Join the growing ranks of modular construction fans! Contact USModular, Inc. to learn how you can build Faster, Better, Greener and For Less!