Being a superhero is the best job in the world. Not only do you save the world and get the girl and receive the world’s adulation, you’re also somehow rich enough (even though you’re above the idea of money) to have a sick secret headquarters that every kid dreams about. And though your hero headquarters are typically less extravagant than your villain’s lair, they’re still prime real estate. Here is a list showing you which hero had the best headquarters.
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It sucks to be a villain. Not just because you’re destined to lose to the hero but because when you do lose, you lose everything, including your stupid awesome villain hideout slash lair slash headquarters. Why couldn’t you just lose a little bit and get to keep rolling around in the Death Star? Why can’t I live in my Dr Evil Volcano with all of its amenities? The secret headquarters of villains are always amazing. Here’s a pretty list showing you which one was biggest and baddest.
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Seems as if building new, fancy properties is quickly becoming the norm within the tech sector. Following in both Apple and Google’s spacious footsteps, Facebook too will be looking to amplify its California-based headquarters — and now it’s received the OK from Menlo Park authorities to commence turning Frank Gehry’s design vision into a reality. The second campus itself is set to boast nearly 434,000 square feet in total and be built across 22 acres, which will be plenty of space to house anything from a rooftop park to an underground tunnel which leads to Facebook’s existent abode. As for city council members, they seem to be rather pleased by Zuck’s proposed construction, with one Kirsten Keith expressing how she “feels very lucky that we’ll have a Frank Gehry building here.” Well then, cheers all around.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Facebook
Via: Sky News
Source: Mercury News
In a bid to bolster its bottom line, Sony’s been selling properties like a desperate monopoly player, and the latest space on the board to go is the Sony City Osaki building for 111.1 billion yen ($1.2 billion). That follows the sale of its NY headquarters for a similar sum, and the move of its mobile HQ from Sweden to Tokyo. The Osaki building has been purchased by a Japanese holding company who will lease the building back to Sony for a period of at least five years, which seems to be the trend for electronics companies lately. The Japanese conglomerate said all the property deals are being made to “transform its business portfolio and reorganize its assets.” Translation? Sony needs the cash, natch.
Source: Sony
Usually when we get a peek at Google’s Mountain View home it’s to gawk at the latest Android-related statue but a Vanity Fair article posted today showed the company’s future HQ plans. After initiating plans for a new structure next to the existing Googleplex and then abandoning them last year, it’s opting for a new facility designed by Seattle firm NBBJ (which also created offices for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) in another area of the city. Planned to open as soon as 2015 — potentially ahead of Apple’s halo-shaped new digs — it’s called Bay View and consists of nine buildings connected by bridges over 42 acres.
According to Google it’s designed for many workers to operate just on natural light, and avail themselves of the many cafes and green roofs. Quoted in the article is civil engineer David Radcliffe, who claims that employees will never be more than a two and a half minute walk away from each other, which, along with the bent floorplan of each building, is intended to create opportunities for innovation through “casual collisions”. These are just some of the tidbits included in the article waiting beyond the source link, but we’re still trying to figure out where they hid parking spots for all the self-driving cars.
[Image credit: NBBJ]
Source: Vanity Fair, LA Times
Well, someone had to offer a counterpart to the giant donut. NVIDIA has decided that its ongoing success in 3D graphics and mobile processors merits a suitably geometric new headquarters, so it’s upping the stakes among oddly-shaped offices: it’s planning to construct a triangular pair of buildings a stone’s throw away from its existing Santa Clara campus. Like its upcoming parallel at the Fruit Company, the NVIDIA facility will focus on both eco-friendly design and wide open spaces that, officially, are meant to reflect the company’s loves of art, collaboration and science. Of course, the Tegra creator is quick to admit that it really needs the buildings to accommodate its growing staff count — and we imagine that “make it look cool” was also part of the proposal. NVIDIA hasn’t said just when the new headquarters will be ready, although it will have to make up for lost time if it wants to have Silicon Valley’s star attraction.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, NVIDIA
Source: NVIDIA
As promised, Nokia has sold its Espoo, Finland headquarters to another Finnish company, Exilion, and signed a long-term lease to stay on as principal tenant. The handset maker reported that the property, dubbed Nokia House, went for 170 million euros ($222 million) and that the sale of the 48,000 square meter (517,000 square feet) property would be completed by the end of the year. Nokia reportedly made the deal to help stem the flow from its recent poor financial performance, but will at least get to stay on in the building it’s occupied since 1997. Check the PR after the break for more info.
Continue reading Nokia sells its Espoo, Finland HQ for $222 million, will stay on as tenant
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Mobile, Nokia
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