Adjacent to Zurich Main Station railway tracks, the interior fit-out of Google’s Building G marks the next phase of the firm’s office expansion following the successful completion of the Sihlpost Zurich.
Building G’s location, geometry, and metallic exterior, part of its existing structure, offered themselves to the conception of a theme that led to the design of this interior project. Over four floors and an area of 7,000m2, we find open-office space, a café and coffee bar, a cinema, a gym, meeting rooms of varying sizes, meeting rooms, and break-out areas.
The Europe-wide network of Google Offices became the fundamental idea. In this way, the linking of office locations within Europe was transformed conceptually into a train journey leading to various European destinations: Madrid, Milan, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Stockholm, Hamburg, and London.
The various departments are each assigned to a European city. They are provided with an individual material, color, and furnishing concept that is atmospherically attuned to the respective city.
Train compartments, some of which are spray-painted with graffiti analogous to train cars, create quiet zones of work separated from circulation zones, alluding to the state of being on a train ride between destinations. These metal, slender and space-dividing constructions contain copying zones, checkrooms, small restrooms, and micro-meeting rooms.
Carefully selected materials, fixtures, and fittings, as well as the close coordination of the services that function the spaces, add to the authenticity of the concept and, for the engineering-based team, provide a vibrant working environment full of visual and spatial stimulation.