Google Headquarters: the Most Significant Modern Landscapes in the Last Century

Google Headquarters is the award winner of ASLA’s Centennial Medallion designed by SWA. The previous name of Google Headquarters was SGI Campus with both private and public spaces for the conventional idea. The whole design of Google Headquarters today offers a strong identity of the campus with complete civic space that everyone needs.

Project

The project of this landscape and its park is started from the winning entry in the City of Mountain View competition. It is about developing a site with 26-acre in large together with a five-acre public park and an R&D campus.

Design

SWA worked together with some developers and architects to design Google Headquarters. With this awesome collaboration, two key planning decisions have been created. The first is about treating the park and the campus as one landscape. The second is asserting the landscape presence by raising the building.

Landscape

The whole landscape is designed to represent the SGI purpose and the unofficial corporate philosophy, “serious fun”. The work and pleasure in Google Headquarters are supported by the outdoor spaces and the formal systems of the site shape circulation.

Park

The park lower level, there is a brick plaza offers a good place for gatherings and concerts. Its bold striped pattern is designed along to the upper slope through shallow pools and terraces. The cherry trees and the horsetail makes this park looks amazing. The water presence shows the clear boundary of the campus and the park.

Garden

The space of three campuses is connected by the sinuous yellow brick path. All of SGI communities can gather in Central Garden. And the West Garden area is used for a volleyball court and recreation. At the north area, there is a bocce court with an elegant, rectangular, small garden.

Google

The site also provides a seamless connection from the park area to the east through the campus. It can improve the west creel corridor. Google bought this site in 2004 and it becomes Corporate Headquarters building for them.

Via swagroup