Google’s new UK headquarters in King’s Cross, a 330-metre long “landscraper” where thousands of employees will work, has been a long time coming. The building is due to open later this year after work started in 2017, making it an apt symbol of King’s Cross itself.
The redevelopment of the 67-acre site near the centre of London took decades to come to fruition. But the elements have fallen into place to make it an acclaimed revival of a dilapidated district and a base for both British and global companies. One of the most important is Google DeepMind, its AI operation run by Sir Demis Hassabis.
King’s Cross, a mixed-use district of residential towers, retail outlets and offices on what was once disused land adjoining the station, has changed London’s geography. It has taken the lead from “Silicon Roundabout” — the half-joking early 2000s nickname for Shoreditch’s start-up cluster — as London’s new hub for technology, venture capital and AI companies.