14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced that it will expand its center of gravity as of late 2007 early 2009. In this regard, the Redmond Company will grow its presence in the City of Bellevue, Wash. At the end of this year, Microsoft will move its employees in new offices in two locations: Advanta office commons and Bravern complex.
"Microsoft continues to grow at a rapid pace across all our businesses - software, games, entertainment, search, mobile and business applications," said Chris Owens, general manager of real estate and facilities at Microsoft. "Adding additional work space in Puget Sound, the company's center of gravity, helps address our current space limitations and ensures that we are prepared for future growth."
For this expansion, Microsoft has leased no less than 1.3 million square feet of office space. In excess of 4,000 Microsoft employees, from both the company's current and future workforce will transition to the Advanta facilities starting at the end of 2007 and into the Bravern complex at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009.
"Microsoft will occupy just over 600,000 square feet in the Advanta office commons in southeast Bellevue, located west of I-90, and nearly 740,000 square feet in the Bravern complex in downtown Bellevue, adjacent to Meydenbauer Center. Almost half of Microsoft's worldwide employees work in the Puget Sound area. The company employs more than 35,000 workers in the region and another 41,000 globally," reads a fragment of the Microsoft press release announcing the move.
The Microsoft expansion in the Puget Sound area, in the city of Bellevue, follows the expansion of the Redmond campus back in 2006. Last year, Microsoft informed of plans to increase the size of its facilities in Redmond Wash. By one third of the existing size.