Google commissioned an ambitious renovation of a 1930s railroad terminal into its new headquarters in New York City. Named St. John Station, the building has undergone extensive upgrades, including the addition of high-tech sustainable features and approximately 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) of lush greenery.
St. John's Station was originally the terminus of New York City's famous High Line, which at the time was actually railroad tracks. Cook Fox Architects worked with Gensler to painstakingly transform it into a building that meets modern standards and extend it vertically to the 12th floor.
The interior is primarily office space, but also features a ground floor lobby and a central staircase diagonally across the building to encourage casual social encounters.
In addition, the design team added flexible collaboration spaces and outdoor areas for socializing and casual work, while retaining the original rail beds to serve as planters for all the greenery. The design team also put a lot of effort into maximizing the views of the nearby Hudson River for both Google employees and people in the surrounding area.
Google explained in a blog post: "The original St. John's station structure served as the basis for our new offices, but we gutted the portion that sits above Houston streets, removing a dark tunnel and restoring the connection between the Hudson Yards neighborhood and the waterfront. Retrofitting the existing structure and foundation is expected to reduce emissions by approximately 78,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent compared to the foundation of a new structure. That's the equivalent of taking approximately 17,000 cars off the road for a year."
"With 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) of vegetation planted at street level, orbital gardens and terraces, the building redefines the meaning of 'green space' in New York commercial real estate. Not only does this enhance the occupant experience, it also benefits the local ecology. More than 95% of St. John's Station The outdoor plantings are native to New York State, reintegrating the building into local systems. Working with NYC Audubon, we have observed more than 40 species of birds utilizing the habitat created at St. John Station, including birds that fuel their transatlantic migration flights."
St. John's Station has achieved LEED Green Building Platinum standards and its energy savings are impressive. Its large solar panel array reduces power consumption on the grid, while also collecting up to 92,000 gallons (nearly 350,000 liters) of rainwater for irrigation. The project also used lumber salvaged from the Coney Island boardwalk after Hurricane Sandy.
While there are some high-profile exceptions, Google prefers to retrofit existing buildings to suit its needs, in contrast to other big U.S. tech companies like Apple and Amazon, which prefer entirely new buildings.