by Jason Snell
Architecture critic pans Google’s new campus
San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King doesn’t think Google’s new campus plan makes sense (paywall link for some):
Walls and roofs might seem like structural relics in the digital world, but they’re the stuff of which the urban places we treasure are made. Look no further than the warehouses of exposed brick and thick wood beams that are now some of the most desirable work spaces in San Francisco and other cities. Another attribute: Those long walls and tall ceilings enclose large floor plates flexible enough to be reborn again and again as the situation demands.
King’s take is that Google’s giant tented campus proposal is a lot like Google Glass: A bad idea out of sync with what the rest of the world wants.