The renowned technology company Google invited the studio to design a new campus and headquarters in Mountain View, California, in collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group. As Google’s first bespoke office buildings, the design was to physically manifest the company’s distinctive approach to working.

As well as creating offices that would adapt to the fast-moving nature of the technology industry, the project also needed to reflect Google’s philosophy of open collaboration. In contrast to its former home in a typically enclosed and car-centric Silicon Valley business park, Google’s workplace was to be a highly flexible space that could respond swiftly to its changing needs and evolve over time.

The Charleston East headquarters (now officially named Gradient Canopy) provides a workplace of approximately 55,000 sqm (595,000 sq ft) for 3,000 staff, arranged beneath a vast catenary roof. Inspired by the simplicity and adaptability of aircraft hangars, the envelope is formed of a series of steel canopies, draped between steel masts and pierced with 64 smile-shaped clerestory windows. Each canopy is clad with customised photovoltaic panels that generate substantial energy to power the building. Rainwater harvesting enhances its sustainable performance and provides almost 3m gallons of reusable water annually.

Freed from the convention of stacked office floors, the interior of the lightweight canopy is set around a large, day-lit open floor plate, composed of multiple tessellated platforms that step through the site. This creates visual connections across the floor for all staff while also allowing for easy subdivision and rearrangement in response to the different sizes and needs of each team. Tucked below the principal office floor are interstitial courtyards and support facilities, which provide spatial variety and areas in which to socialise. Keeping pace with the increasing need for adaptable office solutions, Gradient Canopy anticipates the rapidly changing nature of the way we work.