Project Details
- Project Name
- Google, Spruce Goose
- Location
- CA
- Architect
- ZGF Architects
- Client/Owner
- Project Types
- Office
- Project Scope
- Renovation/Remodel
- Shared by
- Madeleine D'Angelo
- Project Status
- Built
This article appeared in the June 2020 issue of ARCHITECT.
History, technology, architecture, and art come together in ZGF Architects’ interior for the Google Spruce Goose headquarters in Los Angeles. Located in a burgeoning business district just north of LAX, the Spruce Goose takes its name from the famed (not to say infamous) wood aircraft created by magnate Howard Hughes for the United States War Department during World War II; though the prototype was never put into production, its nearly half-million-square-foot construction hangar remains, now repurposed as offices for the internet-search giant.
To achieve the transformation, ZGF played up the most striking aspect of the original building—its enormous clear-span floor space—leaving the vast wooden ceiling and its arching supports exposed, to stunning visual effect. Into that void, the designers inserted an irregular stack of free-standing terraced structures that runs the full length of the 250-yard-long hangar. Alternating between wood and sleek white cladding, supported by black steel columns, and trimmed with glazed balustrades, the insert is alive with function. From private nooks and conference rooms to amenity spaces and open-plan offices, ZGF’s novel infrastructure answers all the programmatic requirements of the modern workplace. The spaces are connected by zigzagging stairs and open catwalks that create a sense of flow while fostering opportunities for social contact.
Reflecting Google’s famously creative corporate culture, the design incorporates oversized murals by Los Angeles–based artists that riff on themes from the building’s storied past, punctuating the interior with vibrant color as well as a sense of history.
Project Credits
Project: Google, Spruce Goose
Location: Los Angeles
Client: Google
Architect/Interior Designer: ZGF Arcitects, Los Angeles . Ted Hyman, FAIA (partner-in-charge); Chris Conaway, AIA (project manager/architect); Matthew Tribe (project architect); Hieu Phan (lead senior technical architect); Claus Best, AIA (senior technical architect); Chulho Woo, Sasan Norouzi, Assoc. AIA, Binh Nguyen, Antony Tavlian, Buzz Poltorak, Jenny Apostol, AIA, Jack Poulin, James Woolum, AIA, Giovanni Spreafico, Jesung Park (designers); Jerry Bryant, Assoc. AIA (architect); Sandra Duval (FFE resource); Brian Maguire (lead model builder)
Structural/MEP/Civil Engineer: Arup
Construction Manager: CBRE
General Contractor: MATT Construction
Landscape Architect: Tom Leader Studio
Lighting Designer: Arup
Historical Preservation Consultant: GPA Consulting
LEED/Acoustical Consultant: Arup
Cost Estimating: Cumming Corp.
Environmental Graphic Design: Volume, Inc.
Art/Fabrication: SPMDesign
Size: More Than 450,000 square feet
Cost: Withheld
Materials and Sources
Carpet: Shaw; Haworth
Fabrics/Finishes: 1502 Fabrics; Maharam; Gabriel; Platform; Bernhardt; Continental; Martin Brattrud; Sunbrella; Mayer Fabric
Flooring: Sustainable Surfacing
Furniture: BuzziSpace; Davis Furniture; Design Public Group; Moooi; Haworth; Knoll; Pedrali; Systems Source; West Coast Industries
Lighting: West Elm; Ligne Roset; Design Public Group
Metal: TrussWorks International
Paints/Finishes: Dunn-Edwards
Seating: Arper; Fredericia Furniture; Fritz Hansen; Gubi; Haworth; Knoll; Moroso; Platform by Unisource Solutions
Wallcoverings: Woodchip & Magnolia; Chemetal; wood paneling (historic)
Project Description
This project won a 2020 AIA Interior Architecture Award.
FROM THE AIA:
Originally built in 1943 for the construction of Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules airplane, this 450,000-square-foot hangar now houses a new technological marvel. Restored and transformed, the seven-story, 750-foot-long structure houses workspace, meeting and event spaces, and amenities for Google employees in the Los Angeles area.
The structure and the campus that encompasses it were deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in the early 1990s, and both are on the state’s register. To that end, the hangar’s original 75-foot glulam arches and wood sidings were preserved, while the central spine was carefully deconstructed and rebuilt using noncombustible materials. The team also unearthed rows of clerestory windows and restored them to their original sill lines.
Given Google’s commitment to creating inspiring spaces and experiences for its employees, the project required an innovative design approach. The new architecture is placed inside the vast volume of the hangar on either side of the central spine, which serves as a lengthwise dividing line. Each new floor is varied in shape and height, offering interesting vantage points and allowing daylight to flow into every level. To ensure the central spine would serve as a unifying element, the team placed collaborative and amenity spaces there. Circulation is intended to promote interaction among employees, and bridges connect new architecture to the spine at different points on each level. Running around the perimeter of the floorplates, a boardwalk rises on a subtle incline from the ground floor to the third.
The team relied on subtle materiality throughout, allowing the original wooden structure to shine. Texture generally supersedes color, and the team relied on matte finishes—brushed metal wall coverings, concrete floorings, and monochromatic carpet—throughout. Color and pattern can be found in the wide range of furnishings hand-selected for the project, and they compliment a series of vibrant art installations. A mural by artist Hueman covers three walls and spans two floors. It was envisioned as a cloudscape for a nearby flock of 3D-printed geese. An additional mural on the third floor, by Kim West, was inspired by the vintage film Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose. The artist’s forest of palm trees and flowers provides a technicolor homage to Howard Hughes’ era.
Project Credits:
Project: Google, Spruce Goose
Architects: ZGF Architects
CBRE: Owner’s Representative
General Contractor: MATT Construction
Structural Engineer: Arup
Civil Engineer: Arup
MEP Engineer: Arup
Acoustical Consultant: Arup
LEED Consultant: Arup
Lighting Design: Arup
Historical Preservation Consultant: GPA Consulting
Landscape Architect: Tom Leader Studio
Cost Estimating: Cumming Corporation
Environmental Graphic Design: Volume, Inc.
Art & Fabrication: SPMDesign
