Google has finally opened its new Bay View headquarters to its employees. The search giant first talked about plans to build it in 2013, almost 10 years ago. This is the first campus that Google has developed entirely on its own.

Bay View is a very unusual office. The roof in the form of dragon scales stands out the most in it. In fact, the “scales” consists of 90,000 silver solar panels capable of generating 7 megawatts of energy – almost 40% of all office needs. The nearby wind farm also provides the energy needed for a fully electric headquarters. Even the two kitchens in it have electrical rather than gas equipment.

In addition, the campus has automated window curtains that let in plenty of natural light and a ventilation system that uses 100% of the outside air.

Another feature is the largest geothermal station in North America, which is also located on campus. It helps to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels. The amount of water used for cooling has also been reduced by 90% thanks to this system. The geothermal well system uses pumps to lift heat from the ground in winter and direct it to the ground in summer.

Google has recently started transferring employees to a hybrid work schedule, which means they will have to work in the office several times a week.

Natural lighting, green spaces and wide open spaces of the new Bay View headquarters will help ease the transition for people accustomed to working from home over the past two years.