Microsoft announces significant extension of its Redmond campus

Microsoft announced today a massive extension project for its Redmond-based campus, which has been the company’s home since 1986. The company plans to expand its 500-acre campus with “18 new buildings, 6.7 million square feet of renovated workspace, $150 million in transportation infrastructure improvements, public spaces, sports fields and green space.”

The refresh project will kick off next fall and should take up to seven years, with the goal to create more room for up to 8,000 additional employees. “Our new campus will be more open and less formal, divided into a series of “team neighborhoods” while capturing more natural light and fostering the type of creativity that will lead to ongoing innovation to advance the industry and benefit our customers,” explained Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith.

The construction of the new campus should require 2,500 construction and development jobs, and Smith explained that it should be a boon for the Puget Sound area. “It’s an investment that’s good for our employees, good for the Puget Sound community, and makes good sense for our shareholders,” said Smith. “We are not only creating a world-class work environment to help retain and attract the best and brightest global talent, but also building a campus that our neighbors can enjoy, and that we can build in a fiscally smart way with low environmental impact.”

The extension of Microsoft’s Redmond campus is a reflection of the company’s recent growth, and it also follows other redevelopment projects at Microsoft’s offices in Vancouver BC and London. Following the opening of Apple’s new spaceship campus in Cupertino, it seems that it also was an opportunity for Microsoft that it represents one of the best workplaces in the tech sector. “As Microsoft continues to create the tools and services that are shaping the future of work, we can’t think of a better time to modernize our campus into a model of ingenuity and innovation,” explained Smith.