• Tech
  • Social Media

Facebook’s Gorgeous New Campus Has a ‘Green Roof’ the Size of 7 Football Fields

1 minute read

Facebook didn’t hold back in its expansion of the company’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.

The 430,000 square ft.-building, known as MPK 20, can hold up to 2,800 people and is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, according to sources familiar with the project. It includes a 9-acre green roof — that’s roughly the size of seven football fields — with a half-mile walking loop and over 400 trees.

The building, which Facebook announced in August 2012, was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry’s firm, Gehry Partners. Though Gehry’s name is tied to several elaborate landmarks including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Calif., the Canadian-American architect said the Facebook’s new campus has a decidedly simpler design.

“From the start, [Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg] wanted a space that was unassuming, matter-of-fact and cost effective. He did not want it overly designed,” Gehry said in a statement. “This is the building that we created for him.”

 

DCIM103MEDIA
An aerial view of Facebook's new campus, an expansion of its current headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. The LEED-certified building, known as MPK 20, has a 9-acre "green roof."Matt Harnack for Facebook
Facebook New Campus Green Roof
The roof contains a half-mile walking loop for employees and over 400 trees.Matt Harnack for Facebook
Facebook New Campus Green Roof
A view of the MPK 20 roof at night.Gehry Partners, LLP
Facebook New Campus Green Roof
The lobby of the campus is entered from the roof.Matt Harnack for Facebook
Facebook New Campus Green Roof
The building, known as MPK 20, will officially open this spring.Matt Harnack for Facebook
Construction begins on April 28, 2014 on Facebook's new west campus in Menlo Park CA.
Construction on the campus seen from above in April, 2014.Proehl Studios/Corbis
Facebook New Campus Green Roof
An early architectural model in the offices of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.Courtesy of Facebook
Architect Frank Gehry and Mark Zuckerberg review the model before it's construction.Facebook

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com