In 2012 , Frank Gehry and Mark Zuckerbergposed for a serial of photosthat seal their intertwine fates : Gehry , arguably theworld ’s most far-famed architect , would design a new campus for Zuckerberg , arguably the world ’s most powerfulnot - lounge lizard person . Surely with all this money and talent coalescing like ahunk of molten aluminum , Facebook ’s new HQ would pull together universal “ Likes . ” alternatively it ’s more “ Sad ” than “ Wow . ”
The first phase of Gehry ’s masterpieceopened last year , tout one of the big individual - room post space in the country . After all the physique up , the ruined merchandise wasanticlimactic at best . The only rightfully interesting part of the yawntown structure was the green ceiling , which , deplorably , was only open to Facebook employees . Plus the structure blocked access to the Bay for anyone not welcome within thesesacred orangish hallways . Facebook was not being a very salutary civil - minded “ Friend . ”
In fact , all of Facebook ’s former Menlo Park development has been for employees only , but that ’s about to change , asNathan Donato - Weinstein reportsat the Silicon Valley Business Journal . This hebdomad , Facebook presented the first rendition for its next big expansion to Menlo Park ’s city council .
Operation Gehry Part Deux is a big effort to spread the campus up to the public , writes Donato - Weinstein . So in plus to two giant office construction ( # 21 and # 22 ) , there will be a 200 - room hotel , a common fade through the two buildings , and a bike bridge deck that will allow people to travel through the complex to get at a bayside trail ( which had antecedently been closed off ):
Facebook is pitching the whole project as more open and permeable to the residential area — though such overtures have their bound , of course , given collective security measures want . The 22,900 - square - foot public commons , for instance , would host intellectual nourishment truck and movie nights , a coffee stall , picnic area and lawn .
Okay , that all sounds fresh ! overnice move , Facebook ! A pollex up , if you will .
Take a look at this Mungo Park , which will finally give local house physician a direct path to the H2O .
The bike bridge idea also sounds pretty sweet , right ? Except it does n’t really look much like a bicycle bridge . It looks like a bunch of 2x4s tossed willy-nilly across a throughway .
Correct me if I ’m wrong here but I ’m not feeling too proficient about come around a 30 - degree round while go downhill on a very minute path where , apparently , pedestrians are just chillin ’ .
I stand for the more I look at this thing it feel like one of those Japanese bridges that are built with extra soaked turns to trick the malevolent spirits that are following you into drowning .
Yes , it ’s just a version , so let ’s desire that someone at Facebook who does mount a wheel conjure up their mitt and point out the fact that hairpin curves are in the main not conducive to a bunch of masses traveling on two wheels . But I could also see this totally making it all the agency through approvals and then have 613 collisions in the first month . This is Gehry that we ’re talking about . map does n’t really matter .
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal ]
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