Google has confirmed its plans to build its new headquarters in London. The project which will entail about £1 billion in investment is expected to generate 3,000 jobs by 2020. The plan was first mentioned three years ago. The announcement is likely to be seen as a vote of confidence for Brexit.
The new Google headquarters will be a ten storied building with a 650,000 square footage. It is expected to be built alongside the company's new complex in Pancras Square. It will also be the first building outside of the US to be wholly designed and owned by Google.
In an interview with BBC, the company CEO Sunder Pichai stated the UK is still an attractive destination for the companies to do business. However, he also expressed concerns about the UK's immigration policies. He said, "Increasingly, for the kinds of complex things we do, we need to bring people who are across many disciplines - with many different backgrounds - together to solve problems."
Apart from setting up a headquarter, Google is also looking to bring Virtual Reality technology to school students and teachers. It expects to reach up to one million students in the country. The company CEO said that VR might be used for stimulating students' imagination, and help them learn better.
The original plans for Google's new headquarter in the UK were apparently rejected for being "too boring." The plans were designed by architecture firm AHMM, which is based out of London. The project was consequently transferred to Thomas Heatherwick, the designer of the Olympic Cauldron and the new London bus.