GoogleIt has purchased a bright office space in London, costing $1 billion. While it awaits construction work to complete its U.K headquarters which is still being delayed by the government,

On Friday, the internet company announced that it had acquired all of Central St. Giles, which it already occupies several floors in London’s West End.

Ronan Harris (Vice President, managing director, Google U.K. and Ireland), stated that “our investment in this striking Renzo-Piano-designed building represents our continued trust in the office as a space for in-person collaborative and connection.” a blogpost.

Harris stated that Google intends to renovate the office in the coming years. Harris also mentioned the availability of collaboration areas, team pods and outdoor work spaces.

Mountain View, England-based company employs 6400 people. The company also has a commitment to creating enough U.K. offices for 10,000 employees over the next few years. Its hub is situated in King’s Cross on the north fringe of London, and has bought several offices there.

Its new U.K. headquarters is currently under construction. Heatherwick Studios and Bjarke Ingels Group designed the 11-storey “groundscraper”. Plans show a swimming pool measuring 25 meters, as well as a rooftop trail for running that measures 200m. There is also a sports hall overlooking London. The facility will hold up to 4,00 Googlers once it is complete.

The development has been stalled for several years. Google started out as a search engine. hoping to be in the building by 2016However, a number of setbacks has pushed the date for move-in back many years. Initial £1 billion ($1.2 billion) plans drawn up by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris were reportedly scrapped by Google cofounder Larry Page for being “too boring.”

An insider familiar with the building, but who declined to give his name due to its sensitive nature, told CNBC last AprilGoogle has set a 2023/2024 target for its entry, which is almost a decade behind the original goal.

Google’s other buildings located in King’s Cross are also being completed at different stages. Google expects the region to have around 7,000 employees by the end of its tenure.

The construction of a brand new, 11-storey Alphabet-owned DeepMind AI Lab in the same region is facing delays. DeepMind is a company that was founded in 1998. due to move into the building — which boasts a library, lecture theater, and a roof garden — last year but construction work is yet to finish.

Meanwhile, Apple is set to move 1,400 staff from multiple Apple offices around London into a new 500,000 square foot space, which will occupy six floors of the former Battersea coal-fired power station (depicted on the front cover of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album).

U.S. technology giants have their biggest base in the U.K. Meta, TwitterPlease see the following: Amazon have also acquired shiny multi-story buildings in London in recent years to accommodate their growing armies.

Numerous construction projects around the world were stopped by the coronavirus. Silicon Valley companies have lavish headquarters. Many construction firms temporarily stopped operations after restrictions were imposed in the U.K. shut down building sites and laid off workers.