Google initiates work for its new $1.3 billion headquarters in London

Google has started work for its UK-based headquarters which has been recently visited by Google & Alphabet’s chief financial officer Ruth Porat. Google has officially submitted plans for its new 92,000-square meter HQ in London called the “landscraper”. The construction of the building will be started from early 2018.

Recently, Google’s senior executives met with London’s mayor Sadiq Khan at the site of Google’s new King’s Cross ‘Campus’. Joe Borett, Google’s director of real estate & construction EMEA and Google UK managing director Ronan Harris were also present at the occasion.

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The new building which will be completed in coming years and the existing building of London will hold around 7,000 employees for Google in the UK. The new building will be the first of Google outside the US which will be completely owned by Google.

The building will be 11 storeys tall and stretch parallel to the platforms of London’s King’s Cross railway station. Alongside offices, meeting rooms and conference halls, the new HQ will have a “wellness center” which will contain gyms, massage rooms, a narrow swimming pool and multi-use indoor sports pitch. A rooftop garden and running track are also said to be featured in the new Google’s home of London.

Ruth Porat seems fascinated about the new HQ, as she says,

“We’re proud of our investment here and work hard to ensure Google can act as the growth engine for businesses and individuals to thrive.”

As Google’s London workforce is currently spread across several offices in Central London, so the basic necessity for this HQ is to combine all the team in one place for better work experiences. This project will cost around $1.3 billion.