Google opens the pod doors on Bay View campus

After nearly a decade of planning and five years of construction, Google is cutting the ribbon on its Bay View campus, the first that Google itself designed. The Bay View campus in Mountain View – slated to open this week – consists of two office buildings (one of which, Charleston East, is still under construction), 20 acres …

[Neil Barnes]

Is it coincidental

That there was a US congressional hearing on UFOs only this day?

[Anonymous Coward]

I understand that part of the Apple employees' complaints is that the company is so siloed that they can't talk to each other even if they come to the office. I wonder how Google fares on this.

[Robert Grant]

Why not make loads of smaller campuses? Come to Oxford and build one, Google.

[Anonymous Coward]

Google has an office in Oxford — well, Waymo has an office in Oxford.

[Anonymous Coward]

Design

Unlike Apple's new HQ (which resembles the original iPod ring with added trees) this HQ looks fantastic in more ways than one. And Google's effort to minimize the climate impact is to be applauded. It looks like a heck of a lot nicer place to spend three days a week compared to the photos I'e seen of Apple's. Still, post WfH, I assume they will face some reluctance and resistance.

[NeilPost]

Re: Design

It looks like some weird African souk with canvas sunshades and just loads of standard work pods on the floor.

Uninspiring… though hat tipped to the eco-features.

[Gene Cash]

WTF is going on in that picture??

What is the structure in the middle? It looks like some sort of kiddie slide?

WTF are the box structures with a roof? Are those private offices? Why the hell do you have a roof... in a building with a roof?? (edit: is this some sort of dodge so high muckety mucks can have their own A/C while the peons suffer in the heat?)

And then what's up with the walled thing with the yellow doors in the lower right? And WTF is the tall Dalek looking thing next to it??

Honestly, this looks like a absolute nightmare to work in. How do you find Joe who works in Gmail support? Is there some sort of numbering system? Or is it just random fucked about? (edit: is there Google Maps - HQ Edition?)

Edit: and I just noticed the lower left says "SAND PUZZLE"?

[Notas Badoff]

Re: WTF is going on in that picture??

That got my attention also, but notice that there are two floor levels pictured here. The 'slide' is a stairway up-down. At least, that's my hope...

The boxes... Well, given my work history, that's where the managers retreat to. They may be _labeled_ meeting rooms, but we know what'll happen.

The roof under the roof, two possibilities. First, the nature lovers still wouldn't want to be blinded by the sun, so I gotta believe they are sunshades. Second, like opera and concert houses, you want the noise diffused, so strategically place curved ceiling panels. Of course, I can't stand open plan offices so this looks more like a mega-McDonalds than a workplace.

As for the Dalek, and the explosion beyond that, these are all aids to mental concentration I'm sure.

All in all unless this is solely where accounting or management are supposed to be playing, upon walking into this I'd walk straight out again, saying I've got actual work to do so call me at home.

BTW: I'd assume that surveillance cameras will be used, else there'll be slingshots and marbles ho-ho! Paintball too teehee!

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: WTF is going on in that picture??

"I'd assume that surveillance cameras will be used,"

When everyone in the building will have Google phones and all devices will be on the internal Google network, why would they need to install any form of surveillance cameras?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Gene Cash - Re: WTF is going on in that picture??

Looks like an unmanaged warehouse holding the remnants of the passage of a hurricane.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

Amenities

It looks amazing, but does it have what Googlers really want: Couches, showers, toilets, and food?

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Amenities

And beanbags! And "breakout rooms" with table tennis, airhockey, arcade games, ball pits etc etc etc.

[Natalie Gritpants Jr]

Both Apple and Google pride themselves on having the smartest employees on the planet. No surprise that those employees have found it easy to adapt to successfully working from home and resent being told to come back to the office for no other reason than "because I said so".

[ravenviz]

I bet they’re not playing baby football in roller skates at home!

[ecofeco]

I can hear the echos now

What WERE they thinking? The acoustics in that place must be migraine inducing!

[Grey_Kiwi]

Looks to me more like "Terminal 1" at "Google International Airport" than an office environment.

Which is fine if you signed on to work in an airport, not so much otherwise.

I'm so glad I'm retired from the paid workforce

[Timbo]

Air volume?

The one thing that concerns me is the amount of air volume, between the floor/desks/work areas and the internal "roof"...as that is some distance between them....and all of that air volume will need either heating (in winter) or cooling (in summer)...and that will take a lot of energy either way.

And how are they going to regulate the internal temperature, as surely some people will prefer one ambient temperature while others might prefer something slightly warmer or cooler, as per their personal preference?

[NeilPost]

Re: Air volume?

Like most vast open plan office spaces - agreed this one looks like an airport terminal which will make it even worse - the Smart Climate Control HVAC will never work on practice.

Seat #1 too hot, seat #2 too cold etc….

Lots of fun for property maintenance.

[Auntie Dix]

That Is the Ugliest F'king People-Hangar in the Bay Area

Welcome to the confluence of:

• liberal filth;

• "green" fantasies;

• noisy, impossible-to-climatize-properly, open-air-playpen design; and

• corporate dictatorship.

Fellow Californian Kai... Per... is also as Oregon-hippie-stink as it gets, hiring the foul-smelling in droves (especially, foreigners..."woke" "diversity" BS advertized, but no-benefit$ contractors, the real reason), where you will enjoy all of the above, plus:

• auto-flush disabled, waste-filled toilets;

• dirty, unwashed, booger-stained bathroom doors and walls (due to "green"/absent "cleaning");

• open-air, ping-pong-playpen noise (all foreigners, BTW) that invades the entire floor;

• ONE unzoned HVAC system for the entire building, with constantly blowing air at ONE management-determined temperature;

• corporate-mandated "no disposables," staff-free, staph-infected kitchens with befouled microwave ovens, dirty-dish-filled sinks, filthy-from-the-drawer cups/plates/silverware, DIY home dishwashers mostly ignored but always interrupted late-cycle (by pigs who add more dirty kitchenware); etc.

I hope that more talent cites these idiotic, hideous, land-grabbing people-hangars as reason to give management the finger and leave Google, Apple et al.

[Robert Moore]

Want an office people will go back to?

Give me a private office and I'll go in.

Add a meeting room down the hall so I can work with my team when I need to, and work in my office when I need to get actual work done. Forget this open plan stupidity, because it doesn't work, and is universally hated by everyone who has to work in it.