Google faces further delay in opening new London headquarters at Kings Cross

Google’s ambitious new European headquarters in King’s Cross, London, dubbed the “landscraper,” now faces an extended delay, with occupancy postponed until at least 2026. This delay follows repeated setbacks for the much-anticipated £1 billion project, which was originally meant to welcome employees in 2024.

The low-rise building, officially named Platform G, stretches 330 metres in length and rises to 72 metres at its highest point; these dimensions make it longer than the Shard is tall. The office has been designed to house up to 7,000 employees within nearly one million square feet. Building amenities are notable, including an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, a basketball court, and a rooftop garden featuring 250 trees, 40,000 tonnes of soil, and a running track. The innovative design, led by Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, boasts “hanging floors” which are not fixed to the building sides, aiming to enhance light and space.

Despite landscaping being completed, the headquarters remains unoccupied. In June the rooftop garden became a haven for foxes, which have burrowed into the extensive soil. The interior of the building is still largely incomplete, and some at Google remain sceptical about the new 2026 move-in date. Substantial organisational changes among contractors have contributed to the setbacks. Lendlease, the initial overseer of construction, sold its UK business, now rebranded as Bovis, while Interior Services Group, contracted for fit-outs, collapsed due to financial difficulties. Structure Tone has since taken over interior works.

Tensions continue within Alphabet, Google’s parent company, over which division will become the headquarters’ principal tenant, with DeepMind reportedly vying for prominence. The delay comes as Google reinforces office attendance for staff, requiring a minimum three-day presence each week. The new facility will satisfy this shift, with plentiful on-site dining options that honour co-founder Sergey Brin’s ethos that no employee should ever be more than 200 feet away from food.

The London landscraper project began in 2013 when Google rejected its initial office plans as insufficiently bold. The revised vision attracted the talents of high-profile architects and was celebrated in 2022 with a “topping out” ceremony featuring local dignitaries. Alongside the project, Google has expanded its London footprint with a £1 billion acquisition of another West End site.

Google did not comment on the reasons for the continued delay. With construction and interior bottlenecks, and a building still largely empty, the future timeline for Google’s flagship London office remains uncertain amid ongoing internal and external challenges.