CAPITAL WATCH

AT — When considering office space, what considerations do you believe should be key for all companies irrespective of size and sector? JB — Selection is very much unique to the corporate drivers of the occupying tenants. No tenant is the same, although we can possibly be categorised. However, location, friction-free commuting and sustainability should all be key requirements. AT — Has your criteria for choosing an office changed or developed in the last five years? JB — I think that generally the selection criteria has remained the same, but cities and opportunities continuously evolve and change over time – as do the occupants of the building – so we need to ensure that any space matches these needs AT — In regard to Google’s office space initiatives, what do you believe to have had the most positive impact and why? JB — A good working environment does not just revolve around great interior design and the provisioning of different work settings – it also needs the support of IT systems and HR policies to function properly. But really good office space is not just about these three functions: for offices to work well, they need to be supported by the culture of all the occupiers and the senior management. AT — Are there any workplace developments/trends that you believe will shape future workplaces? JB — Yes, King’s Cross and also our developments in the Bay Area and New York are first-of-their kind projects that are seeking to push the boundaries of long-term, sustainable and adaptable large-scale workplaces. AT — In your role as Director of Real Estate, what are your main challenges and how do you prepare for the future? JB — My challenges are no different from any other Heads of Real Estate: it’s the matching of conflicting requirements of long real estate cycles against the corporate demands of growth optimisation due to headcount changes or other factors on shorter cycles. AT — How important is the provision of amenity and retail space near to offices? JB — Internal to Google, these amenities are core to culture. Health and wellness is fundamental to having an engaged and productive workforce. Food as a subset of this vision has the additional benefit of ensuring collaboration across the teams. Agents know this better than anyone else – that if you sit down and ‘’break bread’’ with someone it’s hard not to get on with them, which especially helps given the level of the challenges we’re trying to solve at Google. We believe the same to be true of inviting the community to be part of our spaces, like creating retail opportunities for local businesses. AT — What role will technology play in the office of the future? JB — It will be the new differentiator of the workplace of the future. It will change the way we design and construct our buildings as well as how we occupy them. We will look to greater efficiencies and less waste in our operation, but at the same time expect a better end-user experience. It will be the holy grail of office design and maintenance. Internal to Google, these amenities are core to culture. Health and wellness is fundamental to having an engaged and productive workforce AT — Google’s new London headquarters will be the first wholly owned and designed Google building outside the US. Why King's Cross? JB — Good question – well, as they say, location, location, location and some good timing. Google is all about collaboration and connections. If we take these core principles and apply them to our choice of location, King’s Cross matches fantastically well – at a macro level, King’s Cross is directly linked internationally to Paris, Brussels and more recently Amsterdam. Nationally, it is linked to Edinburgh, Glasgow and many other northern cities: in fact, some of my team members now live as far away as Grantham and Leicester. At a more local level, we now have ThamesLink and of course the London Underground. This means that King’s Cross is exceptionally well located for most people, reducing the friction of commuting for the majority. AT — What are the defining characteristics of the new Google office? JB — The defining characteristic of this building is that it is large, yet adaptable… the metric that I generally use is that KGX1 is as long as the Shard is tall, but additionally it contains the equivalent steel in length of two Eiffel Towers. With regard to characteristics – the structure has been designed in a way that will allow us to reflect the needs of the occupants in the space over time, as Google continues to evolve. Internal spaces have been designed with Googlers’ productivity as the main focus: as such, the workplace will have large, open and easily traversable spaces, as well as tons of access to natural light – all connected to the outside world by way of large ‘’windows’’ along its facade. AT — In what way would you say Google’s workspace design influences culture? JB — Google workspaces are generally open plan like many other companies – but unlike the real estate norm with its focus on density, our spaces are specifically designed for collaboration, connection and transparency, which drive our culture of innovation. This generally means that we have a looser fit and lower density. As you can see, ‘’connection’’ is a theme. CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD 33 IN CONVERSATION CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD 32 IN CONVERSATION