Google unveils new LA office in old airplane hanger that once housed the Spruce Goose
Tech giant Google has recently added to its worldwide portfolio of unique and interesting offices, with a move into the redeveloped former airplane hanger of aviator Howard Hughes’ famous seaplane, The Spruce Goose, in the Los Angeles suburb of Playa Vista.
The 228-metre-long historic wooden structure has occupied the site of the former private airport, owned by the Howard Hughes Corporation, since 1943.
Google leased the site in 2016, after purchasing nearly 5 hectares of adjacent land two years prior for $US166 million ($230 million), and engaged ZGF Architects to create its new Westside LA base.
The hanger now comprises a four-storey, 42,000-square-metre ‘building within a building’ comprising office and meeting rooms, event and food spaces, and employee amenities.
An extensive restoration project to highlight the existing timber frame was undertaken, as well as carving out light sources with the installation of large windows around the building perimeter and overhead skylights.
The building used to be an airplane hanger for the Howard Hughes Corporation. Photo: ZGF Architects
For the interior structure, a strategically staggered floor plate was constructed that allows light to penetrate between floors and a connected, elevated walkway around each level, ramping up from the ground floor, helping maintain sight lines, which are intended to increase interaction between employees.
The encompassing adjacent land, including the restored hanger, will create a sprawling campus for the tech giant, as it intends to house the office and production space for Google’s Youtube entertainment division, with development plans to also build up to 13,000 square metres of sound stages on the site.
Google has a 16-year lease on the building. Photo: ZGF Architects
The area around Playa Vista, including the iconic beachside suburbs of Venice and Santa Monica, has come to be known as ‘Silicon Beach’, thanks to the increasing presence of tech companies and startups such as Facebook, Snapchat, Hulu, and Yahoo. Google also has existing office space in the Frank Gehry designed ‘Binoculars Building’ in Venice, which they have leased since 2011.
Google’s newest office was previously owned by The Ratkovich Company, which sold the property in 2016 for a reported $US415 million to Japanese corporate investor ASO Group.
According to the reports by the Los Angeles Times, Google has a commitment to a 16-year lease with the option to purchase the property when the lease expires.
