Google has unveiled its new cutting-edge Moffett Park office building – and it’s nothing close to the concrete, aluminum and steel typically associated with high-tech campuses. The five-story building is the search giant’s first-ever mass timber structure, made almost exclusively with pieces of layered and laminated wood pressed together.
Designed to be environmentally friendly and provide workers a healthier environment, the Sunnyvale building at 1265 Borregas Ave. is a pilot project Google officials hope will serve as a model that could reshape the future of sustainable workplace architecture.
Inside and out, columns, posts, walls, ceilings, structural beams and decorative accents all made of exposed timber span the 182,500-square-foot building, creating a warm, natural setting with access to natural light and outdoor views from nearly every space.
Not only is the building’s design believed to be good for employee productivity, but Google leaders say it’s also good for the environment. Because timber has the ability to absorb and store carbon, over time, the building is expected to have 96% less carbon emissions than a steel office structure of equivalent size.
“This building showcases creating sustainable buildings that empower people to do their best work,” Michelle Kaufmann, head of Google’s R&D development division, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 20 to officially open the building, which was completed in 2023 and opened to employees in September. “The way to empower people to do their best work is to give them access to nature, views and daylight. This building has it all … it reflects our latest ways of working.
“We want this to be more than something great for Google. We want this to be great for the whole industry. This type of construction could benefit millions and billions of people,” Kaufmann said.
Why mass timber?
Mass timber was central to Google’s design goals.
Kaufmann said the company wanted an office site that would improve the employee experience, produce significant environmental benefits and be completed quickly and economically.
This construction method met all those goals.
Mass timber is a good resource for carbon removal since the wood traps carbon emissions for the life of the building, Kaufmann said. This will help the Mountain View company meet its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2030.
And because the pieces of timber were prefabricated in a factory and then assembled on-site, the construction time was greatly reduced. Kaufmann said it took just 14 weeks to put up the structure after the foundation was poured.
Kaufmann said mass timber also can be stronger than steel and provides better seismic resistance because each piece of the engineered wood is made from layered and laminated wood pressed together, which increases its strength. This means the timber pieces can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes, she explained, providing the company the flexibility needed to create an open floor plan that can be reconfigured as needed without having to remove any walls.
“The speed of business moves so fast, we have no idea how people will be working in 50 years, or even a year. We wanted to build something that will be vibrant for the next 100 years,” Kaufmann said.
What does a mass timber office look like?
During a tour of the building on Nov. 20, Kaufmann showed how Google’s new building combines eco-friendly construction with a design that prioritizes employee well-being. Here are some highlights:
All of the structural mass timber lumber Google used for 1265 Borregas Ave. was procured from responsibly managed forests in the Pacific Northwest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Design details throughout the building, such as the ‘tree wall’ in the lobby, pay homage to the Pacific Northwest. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Based on research that suggests people are able to focus and do their best work when surrounded by nature, Google used exposed mass timber throughout the new office, as shown in this focus room, to provide the benefits of a ‘nature-based design.’ Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Mass timber can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes, from support beams and walls to design elements. The ceiling in the focus room features small decorative pieces. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Built at the site of the former headquarters of pioneering video-game maker Atari, the new building includes a game room with a “Pac-Man” wall and old-school video games as a tribute to the company. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Mass timber has the ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide over time — a process called sequestration. Each leaf in this massive installation, which hangs over a stairwell near the lobby, represents over 2 tons of carbon dioxide sequestered in the building. The entire building has sequestered 3,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent to getting 834 cars off the road for a year. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Michelle Kaufmann, Google’s director of R&D for the built environment, said the office contains unexpected surprises, like this built-in cabinetry filled with eclectic items, that are meant to surprise and delight people. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Copper mesh curtains hang outside private office spaces to allow access to natural light while providing privacy. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
This overhead view shows how the office is designed with various workspaces for big and small collaborations. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
In addition to the exposed mass timber wood, the building features floor-to-ceiling windows and a four-story atrium
that provide natural light and views in the workspaces. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Wooden blinds that adjust automatically to the sun’s position line all the perimeter windows. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
The sign for the food court pays homage to the Pacific Northwest, where all of the timber pieces were procured. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Michelle Kaufmann, Google’s director of R&D for the built environment, compared the food court in Google’s new mass timber building to a nice hotel lobby. Google has always offered food for its employees, but now the food court includes areas to collaborate and hang out, she said. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
The mass timber beams, shown at the end of this hall, were put together using Japanese joinery, which allows the building to move during an earthquake. The woodworking technique involves joining pieces of wood together without nails, screws or other fasteners.
Photo by Linda Taaffe.
Google’s new office also is an all-electric, LEED Platinum building and it includes solar panels on its roof, which generate electricity for the building. All of these features work together to advance Google’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions and operate on carbon-free energy 24/7, according to the company.
To encourage employees to pedal to work, the new Google office features bike parking on the first floor. Photo by Linda Taaffe.
