Google's new California offices bank on in-person work

Roofs coated with canopy-like solar panels and indoor spaces awash in sunlight: Google has bet big on in-person work with its sprawling new Silicon Valley offices.

Google's 1.1 million square foot (100,000 square metre) campus on Monday as the tech giant welcomes employees back after pandemic-era telecommuting.

"Luckily, a lot of the things we were already planning kind of set us up for success with Covid," said Michelle Kaufmann, Google director of development for built environments.

"Thank god, because otherwise we would have built these buildings and we would have to change," she added.

The campus spans 42 acres (17 hectares) of leased federal land next to NASA's Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, close to the company's headquarters.

It includes an event centre and small apartments that employees from out of town can use when visiting for work.

Ventilation systems in the buildings use 100 percent outside air, a plus against the spread of Covid-19.

Ground floors feature cafes, fitness centres, meeting rooms, social spaces and playful touches such as multi-colored stationary bikes that people can pedal as they chat, with the option of plugging in to charge devices with power they generate.

Upper floors of the two story structures are home to desks, with furniture and fixtures easily reconfigured as teams want. 

Work areas are divided into "neighbourhoods" with homey touches and even "courtyards" with cosy furniture.