Even the world's most resourced companies struggle to build the perfect HQ. The latest twist in Google's £1B London project is a reminder that office moves rarely go to plan - and that real workplace problems often look less glamorous than the renders.
London's Calling. But Google's HQ Isn't Exactly Picking Up
Things aren't going quite as planned with Google's new London HQ.
The £1 billion office, once designed to host 7,000 employees, is still under construction -- but someone else has already moved in.
Foxes. 🦊
"We've seen her (one of the foxes) all around the building -- one second she's on the fifth floor, the next she's on the garden floor. No one has been able to catch her."
(Google battling fox incursion on roof of £1bn London office, The Guardian)
That said, the people currently on-site aren't exactly thrilled, and not just because of the wildlife.
The grand opening, which was originally scheduled for last year, has been postponed multiple times, and according to one of the workers, "If they get this job done by the end of 2026 it would be a miracle,"
Google's journey to build a London HQ began in 2013. The first design was later thrown out for being "too boring" for co-founder Larry Page.
Well, boring is the last word I'd use for what's happening now!
Why Even Trillion-Dollar Companies Botch Office Moves
The fox story is funny on its own, but the underlying pattern is industry-wide. Major commercial moves consistently come in late and over budget. CBRE's 2024 Workplace Survey of large corporate occupiers found that two out of three workplace projects miss their original delivery date by six months or more, and roughly half exceed budget. The reasons are predictable: design changes mid-build, supply chain delays for specialist fit-out items, and the gap between what leadership wants from a flagship office and what the workforce actually needs. Google's twelve-year saga starting with a design called "too boring" is an unusually visible version of the same pattern. The takeaway for smaller offices is to budget for a slip of at least 3-6 months on any major workplace project, and to keep the brief focused on operational fitness rather than corporate symbolism.
Five Lessons for Your Next Office Move
Build the brief around how people actually work today, not how you wish they worked.
Lock the design before you start. Mid-build changes are where budgets disappear.
Plan for the temporary state. If the new space slips six months, where does the team actually sit?
Don't over-size. The most common regret in 2025 is too much square footage, not too little - a hybrid model can fit more people in less space.
Build a fallback. Even Google has foxes. Yours might be HVAC, broken meeting room tech, or a wifi black spot. Have a plan for the boring stuff.
