Google BHZ

Recognized for setting trends in workplaces and work dynamics, Google inaugurates two new floors at its Belo Horizonte headquarters. Designed by the São Paulo-based firm Superlimão, responsible for other projects for the tech giant, the space is born from a dialogue between nature and human intervention. Cultural and landscape references of the city appear incorporated into the architecture, creating environments that bring the office interior closer to the landscape and territory. Taking the urban plan of the Minas Gerais capital as a reference—conceived in 1895 by Aarão Reis and recognized as the first example of a planned city in Brazil—the project develops a storytelling that articulates architecture, technology, and nature. Designed on an orthogonal logic crossed by diagonals, Belo Horizonte's layout was incorporated into the project as a spatial guideline, organizing the office layout and workflows. The space also evokes the Atlantic Forest, the cerrado landscape, and landmarks such as Pampulha, Mercado Novo, and the curves present in different projects by Oscar Niemeyer. “The challenge was to create solutions that captured the essence of the city and nature without resorting to literal reproductions,” explains Lula Gouveia, architect and partner at Superlimão. The project considered studies on spatial usage flows, guiding the organization of the layout and contributing to a more fluid environment aligned with the company's routine. “When we understand how people actually use the space, the project stops being just a formal composition and becomes a living organism that responds to daily life. Every layout decision in this new phase of Google Belo Horizonte was born from this perspective,” adds Letícia Domingues, architect and partner at Superlimão. Inspired by the urban design characterized by orthogonals cut by diagonals, the layout incorporates these same axes to structure internal pathways and connect workspaces, meeting rooms, and phone booths. This strategy shortens distances, transforms intersection points into meeting spaces, and breaks away from the typical linear organization of corporate offices. The result is a more intuitive and continuous circulation, which reduces internal commutes and contributes to a more integrated experience of the space. The Superlimão team also reorganized the entrance to the floors, which allowed for a more fluid open space and reduced the need for multiple doors with access control, benefiting aesthetics, circulation, and costs. The new floors feature subtle color differences, one with earthy tones and the other with shades of green, as well as elements at the entrances that help differentiate them. The project also includes support areas and a block of external meeting rooms, among other spaces. In addition to optimizing flows and occupancy, the project prioritizes comfort and well-being. In a city named after the horizon, the desire was to keep it as a constant presence, allowing tree canopies and the landscape to cross the large windows and become part of the space throughout the day. To achieve this, lighting studies, simulations, and on-site tests allowed mapping natural light incidence and critical areas, guiding the definition of solutions capable of controlling brightness and radiation, eliminating the use of blinds and preserving the relationship with the exterior. Thus, Belo Horizonte remains always in sight, making the city an active part of the office routine. In aesthetic references, the project reinterprets iconic landmarks of the Minas Gerais metropolis and translates them in a sensory and functional way, based on a biomimetic reading. Elements inspired by the city emerge almost unexpectedly along the path, like small easter eggs revealed through daily use of the space. Pampulha appears as one of the main references, materialized in the floor design inspired by the original complex of Casa do Baile, a project by Oscar Niemeyer with landscaping by Roberto Burle Marx. The curves evoke the movement of water and vegetation and are reinforced by a glass panel signed by Ateliê Benini, which brings the lagoon into the project, as well as pixelated and colorful patterns applied to the phone booths, referencing Candido Portinari's tiles, present in the iconography of this modernist complex, one of the city's main postcards. “The references emerge almost like discoveries along the way, creating an affective relationship between the office and its surroundings and inviting the extensive view of the city to participate in daily life,” comments Lula Gouveia. Meanwhile, the cobogós, characteristic elements of local architecture and especially present in Mercado Novo, appear in meeting rooms and corridors, ensuring privacy without preventing the entry of natural light and reinforcing the cultural identity of the space. This care with the sensory experience was also reflected in the choice of design pieces signed by local producers, such as collaborative furniture and landscaping pots. By translating the city into the internal space, the proposal values user experience and promotes a more fluid, connected, and inspiring work routine.