LinkedIn bursts Google’s bubble
Google has been forced to rein in its ambitions for a giant domed city to house its 2.2m sq/ft Mountain View retreat after networking platform LinkedIn bought out much of the land needed to erect the giant glazed ceiling.
With its feathers clipped Google has been forced to pursue a more modest build consisting of a single dome adjacent to its existing base, under which will reside a four storey building containing 595,000sq/ft of office space – in addition to 72,000sq/ft of shops, amenities and underground parking.
The original vision, drawn up by Heatherwick Studio and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, called for a series of ‘canopylike buildings’ to be erected across the Googleplex but the search giant will now focus on delivering just the one.
In a bid to win over the local community Google is promising public access to much of its estate along with trails, restaurants and retail opportunities for local businesses.