Google Bay View

Google Bay View

Bjarke Ingels Group, Heatherwick Studio

Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and Heatherwick Studios in close collaboration with Google, Bay View is Google’s first-ever ground-up campus with the mission to operate on carbon-free energy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 2030.

The buildings deliver on Google’s ambition to create human-centric, sustainable innovations for the future of Google’s workplace as well as scalable, replicable solutions for the construction industry and beyond.

Located on a 42-acre site at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, the Google Bay View Campus, consisting of three buildings, totals 1.1 million sq ft – including 20 acres of open space, two workspace buildings, a 1,000-person event center, and 240 short-term employee accommodation units.

All three buildings are constructed as lightweight canopy structures optimized for interior daylight, views, collaboration, experiences, and activities.

Bay View’s three new buildings are part of Google’s ambition to be the first major company to operate on carbon-free energy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 2030.

The site is expected to achieve a LEED-NC v4 Platinum certification and become the largest facility ever to attain the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Living Building Challenge (LBC) Water Petal Certification.[1]

Each structure is covered in a tent-like roof made up of a system of inward curving panels which were fitted with a combined total of 50,000 silver solar panels that can generate almost 7 megawatts of energy.

The upper levels of the campus’ two office buildings were designed with a flexible floor under the tent-like canopy supported on slim white columns.

“The idea of the ‘office’ has been stuck for a long time,” added Heatherwick Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick, “Yes, people have done different aesthetic treatments. But there hasn’t been a fundamental questioning of the workplace at this scale.”

“Our approach has centred on the emotions of individuals and the imaginations of teams and how you create a whole different atmosphere of work.”

As a result of Bay View’s solar panel skin and nearby wind farms, Google explained that the building will be powered by carbon-free energy 90 per cent of the time. Its solar skin will generate around 40 per cent of its energy needs.[2]

Given that Bay View is designed to achieve significant energy savings at scale, sustainability awards are expected to follow suit.

BIG’s press release notes that Bay View should meet the standards required for LEED-NC v4 Platinum certification.

Furthermore, they expect the project to set a record for the largest facility to achieve the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge Water Petal certification.

As BIG also notes, the project’s breakthroughs also “unlock advancements for the entire industry” by making its innovations more scalable for the future.

At a time when businesses have more need than ever to rethink both the form and function of offices, projects like this may give employers something to look up to—even if there are only two floors of workspace.[3]

  1. Google Bay View / BIG + Heatherwick Studio / https://www.archdaily.com/985328/google-bay-view-big-plus-heatherwick-studio
  2. BIG and Heatherwick complete Google campus topped with “dragonscale” roofs / https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/18/google-bay-view-campus-big-heatherwick-studio/
  3. Google’s New Bjarke Ingels– and Thomas Heatherwick–Designed HQ Shows the Future of Office Spaces / https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/googles-new-bjarke-ingels-thomas-heatherwick-designed-hq-future-office-spaces

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