Google Campus Madrid

In 2015, Jump Studios (a Populous company) delivered a 27,000 sq ft internal retrofit scheme for Google in the Madrid Río area of Spain’s capital city. The technology giant’s first community hub in Spain, dubbed Campus Madrid, provides a space for 7,000 members to learn, share ideas and launch start-ups. Jump Studios previously worked with Google on its first venture in shared workspace, Campus London, in 2012. The success of this Campus led to the expansion of these community hubs – now located in Madrid, London, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Warsaw and São Paulo.

Google was born within a garage building, and it was here that some of its most creative, ground-breaking ideas were sparked. Jump Studios’ approach was to celebrate this by creating an environment conducive to experimentation. The initial brief called for the consideration of Google’s values throughout the design process. This includes a nod towards designing locally, designing to the building, creating communal diversity, and making an environmentally friendly and ‘green’ space.

The five-storey building is a former electrical storage battery factory, originally constructed in 1892, which Jump Studios has carefully restored to function as a stimulating environment for Google’s members. A new entrance has been positioned on the south side of the building, opening up access to a public plaza and the main road above it via an adjacent staircase. Just beyond the entrance area, the Campus’ café includes relaxed lounge seating and private booths, set over the ground and first floors. Pops of colour, accompanied by raw materials including timber and brick, help to create a fresh and relaxed environment. A feature ‘cage-light’ made of red-steel is the centrepiece of the space running above a 7metre-long meeting table.

Using clean and bold graphic lines, Jump Studios has translated Campus’ overall graphic theme, which was inspired by Madrid’s streetscape. At the start of the brief, Jump Studios understood that the consideration Google has for its Campus members needed to be mirrored in an environment, which enables and fosters effective communication with clients and co-workers in both physical and virtual formats. No two start-ups are the same and this is acknowledged in Jump Studios’ unique design, bringing together a variety of formal and informal spaces that will allow members to grow not only as businesses but also as individuals.

Campus Madrid’s second and third floors are occupied by Google’s members. Over these two floors, upholstered nooks for private meetings and bespoke mobile breakout benches create flexible working-spaces. Each meeting room has a colour palette inspired by famous Spanish artists, including Picasso and Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. The design delivers a juxtaposition between the old and the new, where history merges with a contemporary style, and presenting a unique environment for Google’s members. Jump Studios completed the €4million design for Campus Madrid with local architect CBRE.

Jump Studios