Projects

Creating a workplace for the future at Google Bay View

Building a workplace that celebrates innovation, nature, and the community.

Key information

Client Google

Location California

Project type Real estate

Services Controls and performance, Cost and commercial management, Program advisory, Sustainability

Project timeline 2017 - 2022

Image courtesy: Iwan Baan

Contact

David Airriess

Associate Director

People-centred offices

Google’s ambition for its new 1.1m sq ft office campus was to start with its most important asset: its people. The company wanted to use healthy materials and biophilic design, improve indoor air quality, and create buildings that uphold design excellence—now and into the future—while helping Google reach its moonshot sustainability goals.

The development of Bay View is the first time Google led the concept and construction of its own major campus: a building designed to evolve with its needs while keeping the needs of its people at the center.

After an in-depth exploration of what Googlers need from the workplace, the campus was designed with an emphasis on a floor for collaboration and connection, as well as a floor for focus and teamwork.

project story

Successful delivery

We delivered overall cost and project management on the Bay View project, helping Google implement robust controls and reporting procedures, along with broader controls improvements across the project.

We managed the project budget from the start through completion and proved integral to its successful delivery. Working through unique challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we supported Google across all financial aspects of the project.

An environmental asset

Sustainability runs through the core of this project. Bay View has the largest geothermal installation in North America and is a water-positive campus—demonstrating what’s possible with sustainable design.

It is a development with some of the healthiest materials anywhere, including canopy design and daylighting strategies that allow electric lights for all desk areas to be turned off during most daylight hours while keeping excess heat out—significantly reducing energy use.

Its solar-covered canopy, known as “dragonscale,” has over 60,000 photovoltaic shingles, generating roughly 40% of the building’s annual energy needs. The geothermal system eliminates the need for boilers and significantly reduces water consumption. This allows the building to cut the amount of water required for cooling by 90%—equal to 5m gallons of water each year.

Bay View is also 100% electric and one of the largest all-electric buildings in the United States. It has been instrumental as a case study to push forward Google’s commitment to replenish 120% of the water they consume by 2030. All non-potable water demands are met using the recycled water generated on site.