14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook acquired the massive former Sun Headquarters and already plans to greatly expand it as well as build additional buildings nearby. This, to support as many as 9,400 employees, six years from now. But Google already has about as many at its current headquarters and the company is looking to expand as well.
And, just like Facebook, it's decided to build its own complex, rather than to lease or buy existing ones, like until now.
Given the amount of money Google has lying around and its commitment to green business, it's not much of a surprise.
According to Mercury News, Google has leased 9.4 acres near Shoreline Boulevard from the city of Mountain View, for $30 million, one of the highest sums paid for land in that part of town. The $30 million is just the upfront payment for the 53-year lease.
Google plans to erect its own building on the terrain, one designed to the company's very stringent requirements. One thing that is certain is that the building will be one of the most environmentally friendly ever built as an office space.
The company hired Ingenhoven Architects, a German architecture company that specializes in green designs and already has several sustainable projects under its belt. There's no word on what it's building for Google, but the company is not sparing any expenses.
"We've asked them to build the most green, sustainable building possible," Google told Mercury News. Apparently, the plan is to start building sometime next year.
Google already owns or leases a great number of buildings in the area, a Google Maps search for "Googleplex" will reveal just how spread out it is. Of course, Google hires plenty of people around the world and has plenty of other offices in the US.
It's New York headquarters for example is quite massive. But Google plans to hire more than 6,000 people this year alone and quite a lot of them, perhaps a third, are going to be at its main headquarters.