As part of the StartupBus Europe trip this week, we were treated to a tour of Google’s campus in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Swiss office is Google’s biggest engineering base outside of its HQ in Mountain View, California. Staff here contribute to products like Gmail, Google Calendar and YouTube. We thought it was worth sharing our snaps of this inspiring workplace.
When they want to get away from their desks, Googlers in Zurich can hang out in this jungle-themed room.
Want some quiet space to think or to have a private meeting? These cable cars may look a little out of place in most workplaces, but seeing as Switzerland is known for its ski resorts, they make sense in Googley-type way.
Refreshment areas like this are a common sight throughout the building.
Been working too hard? Relax, or even have a sleep, in this darkened room which is home to tropical fish.
The legendary firefighters’ pole for quick transport to the floor below. Sadly, it’s no longer open to visitors on health and safety grounds after someone suffered an injury.
A library and reading room is available if you want to read the quirky old paper-based data storage volumes known as ‘books’. We spotted a guide to MS DOS 6.1, which probably doesn’t get much use. This selection of boardgames is also available.
A games room doubles up as a practice space for the in-house band, who have their own stage.
We ended our tour with a trip down the spiral slide into the restaurant, our second Google slide this year.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.