Building Scale Mock-up

Until recently, Google has occupied buildings that were designed for others and modified the interiors to suit its needs. Many of the improvements were constrained by the existing shells of these buildings. Tremendous resources were used to make up for the deficiencies of these shells, in old as well as new construction. The market was not providing the kind of shells that allowed Google to deliver high indoor environmental quality for our occupants. In this first ground up construction office building completed by Google, aspirational IEQ and user experience requirements shaped the project into a full scale mock-up, testing strategies and technologies for wider application across the organization’s real estate ventures. With a focus on a high performance building envelope to optimize thermal comfort, provide glare free views, and saturate office spaces with ample natural light, this project was delivered by a close-knit integrated design team and design-build contractor. In addition to investing in design phase consulting for daylighting and integrated design, Google partnered with a daylighting consultant to scope novel design handoff oversight services, providing opportunities to validate design phase modeling and simulation results with the final built reality, and also to test, tune, and ensure proper functionality of automated elements in the building skin. This project offers invaluable lessons learned in integrated design processes, building performance dependent on high-performance facade design, strategic owner involvement, and the value of team-wide priorities carried out from concept design into occupancy.