New York: Microsoft Corporation’s headquarters is all set to get a makeover, as the company announced its plans of executing a multi-year campus refresh project next fall.
Once complete, the Redmond headquarters, which has been Microsoft’s home since 1986, will turn into a sprawling campus with 131 buildings – including the equivalent of 180 football fields of new and renovated space – of modern workspace for the 47,000 employees who work here every day, plus room to expand operations and add up to 8,000 more people, according to a blog written by the company.
“At a time when space is at a premium and many companies are looking for room to grow, we recognise that our 500-acre campus in Redmond, Washington, is a unique asset. Neighboring a vibrant urban core, suburban towns, lakes, mountains and miles of forest, it’s one of Microsoft’s crown jewels. And as we continue to grow and look to create the best workplace in the tech sector, Microsoft will invest right here in Redmond, our home for more than 30 years,” the blog stated.
The software giant’s present headquarters presently consists of 125 buildings on. With the new project in place, the Redmond campus will include 18 new buildings and 6.7 million square feet of renovated workspace.
The project will involve roughly 2,500 construction and development jobs, and will take five to seven years to complete. The company, through this development, not only aims to create a world-class work environment to help retain and attract the best and brightest global talent, but also aims to construct a campus that can be built in a “fiscally smart way with low environmental impact.”
“As our employees create the tools and services of the future workspace for our customers, it’s important they have a campus that reflects that future for themselves. We will create that workplace in part by applying our learnings from our other recent campus redevelopment projects in Redmond, Vancouver B.C. and the Paddington office in London, and how they have enabled teams to collaborate, showcase our workspace and related technologies for customers and, most importantly, enhance the experience for employees,” the blog noted.
Through the new campus, Microsoft also aims to make the environment less formal, divided into a series of “team neighborhoods” while capturing more natural light and fostering the type of creativity that will lead to ongoing innovation to advance the industry and benefit our customers.
Further, Microsoft says it will renovate the exterior to create more opportunities to exercise, play and connect with nature for their employees and those who live nearby. The plans include a two acre open plaza that will fit up to 12,000 people, running and walking trails, facilities for soccer and cricket, and retail space.
The new buildings, Microsoft says, will focus on inclusive design and accessible technology to empower all employees. The campus will be built for pedestrians and bikes with all cars moved to an underground parking facility.
It will also build off the region’s smart investments in transportation by constructing a foot- and cyclist-only bridge across WA-520 that will connect both sides of the campus and tie into the future Redmond Technology Transit Station where Link Light Rail will arrive in 2023.
Microsoft, as a Zero Waste Certified campus, will continue to focus further on waste-reduction initiatives. Additionally, it will continue to fully fund transit options for employees, including ORCA transit cards, carpool and vanpool, and Microsoft-run employee Connector buses and other vehicles to supplement existing options. It will continue to be Energy Smart, using Azure for building system monitoring to optimize our energy usage and reduce our carbon footprint. (ANI)