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In celebration of its 25-year anniversary, Google has launched a new “Visitor Experience” center at its Mountain View headquarters, with the grand opening on Oct. 12.
“This is a first for Google,” said Scott Foster, vice president of real estate and workplace services, referring to the opening of Google’s doors to the community.
It is an intentional visitor experience, accessible to the public, Foster said, addressing an audience of Google executives, dignitaries and media members attending a preview of the center on Oct. 11.
Located at Google’s Gradient Canopy (formerly Charleston East), the Visitor Experience is part of a larger corporate complex that was years in the making, according to Google President Ruth Porat, who described the vision of the building’s design.
The Gradient Canopy — a 620,000 square foot, circular structure, with dragon-scale solar panel roof and sustainably sourced and reclaimed materials — reflects a new kind of work culture, one that focuses on big open spaces, light, energy and community, Porat said. It also is closely connected to nature, she said.
The Visitor Experience is part of this vision, dedicating space designed for the community and meant for “neighbors, visitors and Googlers,” according to the company’s website.
It also is Google’s first brick-and-mortar store on the West Coast, where visitors can see and try out company gadgets, Porat said.
The center is expansive, with a number of different kinds of venues and experiences open to the public. It features an events space, a public cafe and a pop-up shop to showcase local businesses.
The center also has an area, known as the “Huddle” — a collaborative space to bring people together — and an outdoor plaza that features large public art installations.
A tour of the site reveals constant interplay of technology and nature, where outdoor and indoor spaces meld together in a show of biophilic design elements.
“It’s all part of using plants, light, patterns and materials that connects the built environment with nature,” said Michele Kaufmann, an architect and Google director of R+D for the built environment.
Celebrating these architectural and design innovations, Foster announced that the Gradient Canopy recently achieved a Living Building Challenge Materials Petal Certification, which he described as one of the most ambitious green building certifications in the world.
Mountain View Mayor Alison Hicks drew attention to these sustainable design elements as well, while also describing the site as a community asset.
“It gives both locals and tourists an actual place to come and celebrate our community of tech and innovation,” she said.
“It is a place you can come solo with family and friends or for social gatherings, and a place that immerses you in native landscaping, great architecture and public art,” she added.
The preview of the Visitor Experience also served as a chance to announce Google’s philanthropic contributions. It is donating a $1 million grant to Community Services Agency in Mountain View, an organization dedicated to improving access to services for low-income, homeless and other economically vulnerable community members.
State Assembly member Marc Berman commended the investment, while emphasizing the importance of venues, like the Visitor Experience, to bring people together, particularly after the social isolation of the pandemic.
“I want to thank Google for its long-standing partnership with the city of Mountain View, and its very significant investment to open these new community assets up to surrounding residents,” he said.
To kick-off the center’s opening, Google has lined-up a schedule of free concerts, workshops and talks that run through Oct. 22.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, Google will host its first “Community Day on the Plaza.” The event will feature a morning dance party, live music, food trucks, a makers-market, workshops and other family-friendly activities.
The Visitor Experience center, located at 2000 N. Shoreline Blvd., is open seven days a week, Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More information about the visitor center is available online at visit.withgoogle.com/.
