Search engine company Google has purchased the Renzo Piano-designed Central Saint Giles development in London for £730 million, as it commits to a future of physical office working.
The technology giant has agreed to buy Central Saint Giles, where it has rented office space since 2012, from the Legal & General Group and Mitsubishi Estate.
Google intends for the building complex ? located in London's West End near Oxford Street, an area hard-hit by the exodus of office workers during the pandemic ? to continue to serve as one of its London headquarters.
Designed by Piano, the complex has a bright facade in tiled blocks of red, yellow, lime green and orange, not dissimilar to Google's own logo. It contains around 38,000 square metres of office space, which is currently shared between Google and other tenants. Move represents "continued confidence in the office"
In a post on Google's blog, UK & Ireland vice-president and managing director Ronan Harris said that the purchase signalled the company's confidence that workers would return to physical offices at the end of the pandemic.
"Based in London's thriving West End, our investment in this striking Renzo Piano-designed development represents our continued confidence in the office as a place for in-person collaboration and connection," said Harris.
Google's plans for Central Saint Giles include a refurbishment that will encourage workers back into the office
Harris said that Google would accommodat...