Google’s brand new New York City headquarters inside St. John’s Terminal at Hudson Square has opened following the completion of a five-year and $2.1 billion project designed by COOKFOX Architects and Gensler.

The renovation of the two-block-long former rail terminus yields a total of 1.3 million square feet of new offices. Another nine stories were added above the existing structure. The building will house some 3,000 employees of the tech giant, who said in a blog post that its design is responsive to a research-driven office strategy and supports a new workplace model that’s meant to foster greater collaboration, creativity, and growth. 

After restoring the original three floors remaining from its peak usage in the 1930s, the design team created a welcoming space defined by an exterior cut facade detailed on its northern side with reused rail beds that had been leftovers and are kept semi-exposed to create a visible linkage between past and present.

COOKFOX says: "We designed the building to prioritize occupant health and well-being through multiple biophilic design strategies. Blurring the boundaries between indoor and out, planted terraces and garage doors envelope three floors of the building and create direct connections to nature and seasonal cycles."

The studio also said more than 500 bicycle parking spaces come with the structure, which is designed to collect and retain up to 92,000 gallons of rainwater per year.

These strategies combined to help the project achieve LEED v4 Platinum Certification for its core and shell. Inside, Gensler's interior design creates a series of 60 small 'neighborhoods' equipped to support teams of between 20 and 50 Googlers. Outside their workspaces, terraces are beset with additional small work and relaxation pavilions. The building is completed by 1.5 acres of vegetation at the surrounding street level that was designed in collaboration with Future Green Studio. 

"With contributions from our architecture, interiors, strategy, brand and climate action teams, St. John's Terminal was an all-hands-on-deck project for Gensler," said Amanda Carroll, Managing Director, Principal, "Together, we designed a workplace ecosystem that is flexible for each Google team with an adaptable mix of work settings, amenities, gathering areas, green spaces and relaxation zones that create a uniquely Google experience — one that will only get better with time."

Google, whose local workforce has doubled to over 14,000 since the project’s first announcement in 2018, purchased the building from developer Oxford Properties for $2.1 billion in April 2022 in a still-record for the largest commercial office sale in the New York market since the pandemic began (h/t The Commercial Observer). 

Two additional office structures — 315 Hudson Street and 345 Hudson Street — are also being leased by Google at the site, bringing the development to over 1.7 square feet in total.