According to the multi-national corporation Google, natural settings make for more productive working environments as opposed to busy city centres. At the end of February this year, Google revealed plans for its new headquarters in Mountain View, California, designed by a team of some of the world’s finest architects.

In a video released on their daughter-company’s site YouTube, Thomas Heatherwick, one of the architects selected for the project, stated that the goal of the project is to create a new HQ which harmonises with the natural outdoor setting, harnessing the power of nature to boost creativity and imagination. He also adds that when you visit the current Google campus, you are greeted by many trees, which are often undermined by local road systems and infrastructure. Their strategy for the new building is to transform the current ‘sea of parking’ into a natural landscape, providing an abundance of greenery both inside and out.

The proposal suggests moving away from traditional concrete buildings which can be restrictive when it comes to design. Instead, light-weight block structures will be created which will actually be moveable if the company should relocate in the future. This approach is inspired by the experimental work of Archigram in the 1960s, which envisaged a world included of modular pods. Google’s new HQ design will incorporate nature into the design like never before, and will open up a pathway of possibilities for the future of commercial architecture.

We love the concept of incorporating the outdoors into architectural design, and strive to create sustainable residential and commercial architecture which works well within its environment and makes a positive impact, as this new Google building looks set to do. We look forward to seeing how this project develops and what new ideas the architects will incorporate into the finished structures.