Google adds offices in London and targets 10,000 employees
Google has bought another large site in London in a bid to grow its UK workforce from 6,400 to 10,000 and create less densely occupied office space.
In addition to the 650,000 square foot 11-storey building under construction in King’s Cross, the web giant has now purchased 408,000 square feet of office space at Central Saint Giles in Bloomsbury for £730m, a building in which it rented already offices. It will redevelop offices there to bring them up to King’s Cross development standards. UK Google boss Ronan Harris said the investment showed the company’s confidence in the office’s future as a workplace. He said: “We want to revitalize the working environment. We are committed to rebuilding. We are buying these buildings and can’t wait to see everyone come back 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 company said. Eventually, Google would like to see its workforce return to the office three days a week. Harris told the BBC: “I think the next two [years] will be an experience where we will try to understand what hybrid and flexible really mean. And I think that will differ from company to company and from role to role. I think there will 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 center of the capital, near Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It is best known for its exuberant colors, with each of its buildings in shades of green, yellow, orange and red, and is home to restaurants, cafes and apartments in addition to offices. The King’s Cross building, known as “the skyscraper”, will be 330 meters long