14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is said to be planning the biggest revamp of its Redmond campus, according to a new report, a decision that’s believed to be another move of the newly-appointed CEO Satya Nadella.
Bloomberg writes that Microsoft is planning to overhaul its campus in order to increase collaboration between its divisions, but also to attract more young talents with new amenities.
It turns out the software giant has already hired architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP to come up with a plan for the overhaul, but for the moment, no decision has been made in this regard, so Microsoft is only considering this for the time being. It all depends on the proposal the architecture firm brings forward, it seems, and a decision is expected to be made by the end of the year.
Interestingly, the firm in charge of redesigning the Redmond campus is the same one that designed the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai, which right now is the tallest in the entire world.
Apartments for visitors and restaurants for employees
On paper, Microsoft’s plans sound really great, as the company wants to build new apartments buildings for visitors, but also more restaurants for its own employees. At the same time, it’s believed the company is aiming to redevelop existing buildings in order to have more open-space offices, as experts claim that such a change would greatly improve collaboration between divisions.
Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed plans to revamp the Redmond campus, but a company spokesperson hinted that this is indeed possible in the coming months.
“We continually work on Microsoft campus plans to anticipate future needs,” the company was quoted as saying.
Microsoft’s Redmond campus was built in 1986 and is currently the work place for more than 30,000 employees. At the moment, it’s made of approximately 80 buildings and covers more than 388 acres (157 ha).