Life in the Googleplex
The Googleplex is located between Charleston Road, Amphitheatre Parkway, and Shoreline Boulevard in north Mountain View, California close to the Shoreline Park wetlands. Employees living in San Francisco or the East Bay may take a wifi-enabled Google subsidized shuttle to and from work. It is powered by biodiesel.
Neighbors of the Googleplex include Alza Plaza to the west; Shoreline Amphitheatre to the north; Intuit to the northwest and Century Theatres, Microsoft Corporation’s Silicon Valley research complex, and the Computer History Museum to the south. Moffett Field lies nearby to the east.
The four core buildings, totaling 47,038 square meters (506,310 sq ft), were built for and originally occupied by Silicon Graphics (SGI). The office space and corporate campus is located within a larger 26-acre (110,000 m2) site that contains Charleston Park, a 5-acre (20,000 m2) public park; improved access to Permanente Creek; and public trails that connect the corporate site to Shoreline Park and the Bay Trail. The project, launched in 1994 to reclaim a former industrial brownfield, was a creative collaboration between SGI, STUDIOS Architecture in San Francisco, SWA Group of San Francisco and Sausalito, and the Planning and Community Development Agency of the City of Mountain View. The objective was to develop in complementary fashion the privately-owned corporate headquarters and adjoining public greenspace. Key design decisions placed parking for nearly 2000 cars underground, enabling SWA to integrate the two open spaces with water features, shallow pools, fountains, pathways, and plazas. The project was completed in 1997. The ASLA noted in 1999 that the SGI project was a significant departure from typical corporate campuses, challenging conventional thinking about private and public space.
this is interior of Googleplex
A lifeguard sits on duty as an employee works out in one of two swim-in-place pools at Google’s headquarters.
We already knew that working for Google had certain advantages, but, believe me, this giant of the search motor takes the welfare of its employees seriously … as shown by this decompression (stress) capsule that is impermeable to sound and light …
Moving around: A slide allows quick access from different floors . . . There are also poles available . . . they are similar to the ones used in fire stations .
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Food . Employees can eat all they want from a vast choice of food and drink .
Work Station: Each employee has at least two large screens. There are 4-6 ‘Zooglers’ per office .
INOVATION: Large boards are available just about everywere because ‘ideas don’t always come when seated in the office’ says one of Googles managers .
LEISURE . Pool tables, video games etc. are available in many areas .
Communication . . . On each floor, there are private cabin areas where employees can attend to personal affairs ..
Technical Support: Problem with your computer ? No problem . . . Bring it to this area where drinks are available while it is being fixed . . .
Health: Professional masseurs (eusses) available .
REST . . . This room provides massage chairs that you control . . . while you view relaxing aquariums . . . . !!!
Ambiance . . . There are many books in this library . . . even some about programming !!
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