The Google ‘landscraper’ and no place to park

By: J. David Chapman/June 1, 2023

I just returned from my annual monthlong research and study tour trip to the U.K. I have been researching the built environment and, specifically, the effects of dense new developments, such as King’s Cross, on the cities in which they reside for years.

Wedged between and towering over London’s King’s Cross and St. Pancras railway stations, the main structural works of Google’s new office building are complete. The facade is taking shape as the metal frame is being filled in with giant panes of glass and panels of wood.

Described as the “future of the built environment,” Google is creating the next iconic structure in London’s skyline. The new design is unique in that it is as long as a skyscraper is tall, earning it the nickname the “landscraper.” The funny thing is that when I first saw the design, it looked like something you would see in a city like Oklahoma City, where land is plentiful. This building is short at 11 floors, but unusually long and sprawls the entire block. Typically, in the dense backdrop of European development, you see skyscrapers 50 to 75 floors tall with very small footprints. This footprint was quite large, but what was more surprising is the proposed 11-story building will house approximately 7,000 employees, but plans show just four parking spots.

At a visit to the Camden Borough planning offices, the UCO students and I got the opportunity to visit with the planner-in-charge of the King Cross development. I asked her about the lack of parking for the new building. She informed me that buildings will no longer be allowed parking. What? Not allowed parking spaces? Coming from the American planning design that dictates how much parking must be provided, and even allowing developers to pay fees “in lieu of” parking spots, this was a huge change to our status quo. In the United States, we have a parking space for every car in the country. The British urban planner went on to explain that Camden Borough had made an ordinance that personal vehicles are no longer allowed. Residents, workers and visitors will have to rely on public transportation including the underground train, buses, boats and taxis; and personal vehicles will not be allowed within the borough.

J. David Chapman is a professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).