GOOGLE has just unveiled its newest headquarters — its roof resembles dragon scales.
The tech giant just opened a new California office in Bayview Park in Mountain View, Santa Clara County.
Google has just unveiled its newest headquarters — its roof is like dragon scales
Designed by London-based Heatherwick Studio and BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the site covers an area of 102,000 square metres.
Construction ended earlier this year — nearly a decade after the space was announced.
Powered by solar technology, the site boasts three Bayview buildings.
Two of the buildings are used as offices, while the other is a 1,000-seat auditorium.
However, what made headlines was the roofs of the buildings, as they were fitted with silver photovoltaic panels that looked like dragon scales.
When combined with local wind power, the lightweight roof generates 40% of the program's energy needs.
The design is designed to align with Google's ambition to operate with full 100% renewable energy by the end of the century.
As of now, the space uses 90% renewable energy 24 hours a day, according to Lodi Valley News.
The space was designed by London-based Heatherwick Studio and BIG
According to The Architect Magazine, the site was described as "the first purpose-built headquarters ever built".
It's also one of a pair of sister developments in California — another known as Charleston East — that will be completed next year.
Asked what inspired the design, Heatherwick Studio's Eliot Postma said the team was trying to "design a building for an organization that is growing so fast."
He added that flexibility and adaptability are huge drivers behind the design because they don't know how Google will take advantage of the space.
"Google is so data-driven. Every design initiative we make, while initially based on experience, also needs to be supported by data, metrics, and, fundamentally, the environmental benefits of the building. Postma said.
He points out that the holistic approach is driven by the sun, rain and earth — but designers are really focused on using as much energy as possible from the sun.
The roof of Google's new headquarters is made of solar panels