Google's ambitious plans to expand its California headquarters in Mountain View took a major blow last night when council members announced their decision to award LinkedIn three-quarters of the North Bayshore area site. With just 500,000 square-feet of area to work with, Google would only be able to construct one of its four proposed buildings.
Unveiled earlier this year, the company's futuristic "Googleplex," designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio, gained international attention for its outlandish plans to build four Lego-like buildings beneath a cluster of translucent canopies.
As The New York Times reports, LinkedIn won the council over by promising to "preserve business diversity."
LinkedIn's modest proposal will include office and retail space, a movie theater, gym, basketball court and a series of pedestrian pathways. The company also teamed up with an affordable housing developer, per the city's requirements to integrate affordable housing into the area, which may have helped them win the councils favor.
According to David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate, Google will “continue to work with the City on Google’s future in Mountain View.” The company still owns most of the North Bayshore land area and will consider rebuilding on their existing property. However, as the Times reports, this would require a smaller proposal that what they were counting on.
News via The New York Times
