Inside Google's Massive Headquarters

we all use their services every day, it answers our strangest questions, you are even watching this video using the company's video streaming platform, are we talking about

google

or more importantly, is it the bank's

headquarters

busting In Silicon Valley, just steps from the San Francisco Bay Area and a stone's throw from other multinational

headquarters

such as Apple Park and the homes of Facebook, eBay and Netflix, lies the 26-acre site where we find the Googleplex headquartered in Mountain View. Google headquarters gets its name from a play on words, evidently it is a combination of

google

and complex, but it is spelled a little differently. googleplex is an incredibly large number with many zeros after it.

The last explanation is probably an indication of Google's global monopoly and its incredible successes. The land was purchased from Silicon Graphics, perhaps the creators of the famous Jurassic Park dinosaurs. That's why a dinosaur still watches the complex today For the first time Google did not move into buildings that were inhabited by previous tenants The multinational firm this time took matters into its own hands and hired South African architect Clive Wilkinson, it was said that the Teamwork and creativity topped the mood boards in Wilkinson's office when designing the giant Google complex, both firms came together to design a space that was not only created to increase productivity but also force satisfaction. work, this can be seen with fun lava lamps and even giant screens. featuring live Google search terms from around the world, a nod to the company's most famous asset, oversized whiteboards, walls filled with creative ideas and, uh, not-so-creative anonymous jokes, and many of the lobbies host pianos that welcome the next musician who dares to play.

An incredible amount of glass was used in the construction of the Googleplex, increasing natural light and the offices are arranged into three- or four-person workspaces. These small groups are said to be effective at sharing and developing ideas, but are small and independent enough to reduce office chatter. It seems like Google has perfectly balanced the best of both worlds. Internal photos show workstations decked out in various Google and Android paraphernalia, and from what we've seen, they appear to house plenty of productivity. The employees are there to work, but the company doesn't want them. to feel like this, the staff are treated like friends with access to an incredible amount of facilities, we've all heard of an on-site gym, that's nothing new, but the company also offers swimming pools on-site, these are Designed to reduce the footprint they need by allowing swimmers to swim against an artificially generated current, there are several ping pong pool tables and foosball tables scattered throughout the campus with spaces to relax and enjoy some video games.

Google even has its own free-standing pots that staff members use to relax. and relax or distance yourself from your surroundings so you can get to work on some heavy tasks. What happens outdoors? After all, California's climate is supposed to be among the best in the world. Google has that covered, too: tennis courts, soccer fields, and other outdoor spaces. For fun, Frisbee games are completely free for staff. They are all interconnected by a network of private trails. Health is provided by the hotel's medical staff and luxury is provided by a company. Subsidized massage service. A hair salon.

A laundry and dry cleaning. The list goes on, in fact it is rumored that team members bring their dirty laundry over the weekend to avoid having to use their own machines. The best part of traveling between these services is done on Google's colorful bikes. It is even reported that many employees given a portion of their work time to focus on side projects unrelated to their usual workload, promoting and inspiring creativity is worth it, Google says this is how many of the projects were devised. its laboratories, self-sufficiency was key for the Googleplex, although not entirely for some of the The complex's energy needs are met by solar panels that were carefully placed on the building's rooftops.

Some of the fruits, vegetables and herbs eaten in the company's cafeterias are even grown in one of the park's two gardens, which are themselves accredited by an educational society whose goal is to teach people the benefits of horticulture. Many scientists and psychologists have commented on the benefits of getting outdoors for our mental health and, unsurprisingly, tech giant Google recognizes these benefits with mindfulness spaces strategically located around the complex using spaces such as the food gardens, ah , and one last benefit, the food, do you sit down? Because this is not for the faint-hearted. Google provides food to its staff and much of it completely free.

Workers can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at the various cafes on site for free. charge included at Charlie's Place the flagship cafe named after Google's first head chef, Charlie Ayers, these days restaurants are focused on fresh, organic, healthy food, those Buddha bowls, all that smashed avocado on toast you see on Instagram, this is the type of food. Being an idea from chefs that include a fusion of world foods, we imagine that a wide variety of dietary requirements are considered when planning menus at Googleplex, but Google employs real people, not all of them are robots and these real humans have hunger between meals.

Just like you and me, the solution: Every workspace is within walking distance of a full refreshment room that's stocked with delights like granola treats and hot and cold drinks, the novelty of constantly eating out may have worn off for many. of the most experienced members of the company. of staff, but small kitchens are always nearby with essential amenities such as microwaves, kettles and refrigerators. An unwritten saying among the company's workforce is the google 15, which refers to the 15 pounds of weight that beginners typically gain from all this free food—in fact, we don't. We don't actually know how much the company spends on powering the entire campus, but one blogger did some math and came up with a figure of at least $72 million each year.

When traveling to and from the sprawling site, employees likely take a diesel with Wi-Fi connection. -electric bus, other members can take to the roads in their own cars, after which they will find one of the two thousand underground parking spaces or perhaps staff would like to plug their electric cars into the power points supplied under a covered carport with solar panels for any visitor. The site will quickly notice the fun aspects that Google injected here and there. An army of android statues populate the main outdoor area. A kitkat and a gingerbread man, to name just two, of course, the green android character features, as well as various derivatives. like the metal statue of an android coming out of the top floor of the android building, how much did all this cost you?

This site alone cost the company around $1 billion and that was in the same year that the New York Chelsea market was acquired for $2.4 billion. Let's not forget it. the staggering amount of money probably spent on food and other maintenance work and this happens to be one of the most expensive venues in the world. What do you think of tech giant Google's merging of work-home balance? Would you work at a place like this with its incredible benefits or do you value your time away from work, one thing is for sure, although at least this place is good for a visit as a taste of what the future holds.