Microsoft Unveils Major Campus Overhaul
Microsoft today unveiled its plans for a major campus overhaul at its home, Redmond. The software giant will start building a multi-billion dollar campus overhaul next fall, adding 18 new buildings to its Redmond campus which already boasts 125 buildings.
The new buildings will allow the company to add 8 thousand employees to its workforce of 47,000 employees in Redmond. The software giant will replace 12 of the existing buildings with the new modern campus, focus towards improved productivity and team-work.
Microsoft’s modern campus overhaul isn’t as futuristic as the Apple Park, but the company says it’s a major step forward for the company, substantially expanding its HQ with modern workplaces and creating 2,500 construction and development jobs in the area. The project will take roughly 5-7 years to complete, and the first building will be ready in the first five years.
“This project represents a significant investment by the company, will involve roughly 2,500 construction and development jobs, and will take five to seven years to complete. It’s an investment that’s good for our employees, good for the Puget Sound community, and makes good sense for our shareholders. We are not only creating a world-class work environment to help retain and attract the best and brightest global talent, but also building a campus that our neighbors can enjoy, and that we can build in a fiscally smart way with low environmental impact,” Microsoft President Brad Smith outlined in an article.
The overhauled campus will feature underground smart parking facility, as well as inclusive and accessible technology. The 18 new buildings part of the overhaul will be Energy-Smart Buildings that utilize Azure to monitor the building system and energy usage optimization, according to the company.
As part of the overhaul, Microsoft is also building a huge 2-acre open plaza where it will a variety of different facilities — but most importantly, it will be able to hold up to 12,000 people for events, which means the company will probably start holding major events like Build and Ignite at its main campus in a few years time.
Microsoft’s new campus will be built with a major focus on collaboration and team-work, and the company is taking inspiration from its existing modern workplaces at its Paddington office in London and Vancouver B.C.