Microsoft's Silicon Valley Campus Is Getting A Major Upgrade — see what it will be like

Microsoft announced Tuesday it's broken ground on a major renovation of its Mountain View campus.
The project will increase workspace at the campus by 35%.
The modernization effort will focus on sustainability and connecting employees with the outdoors.

Microsoft is giving its Silicon Valley campus a major makeover.

The company announced on Tuesday that it began a renovation of its 32-acre campus in Mountain View, California, just north of San Jose. Microsoft will add office space on campus. But the modernization project will also focus on sustainability and improving employee access to outdoor spaces, a point that Microsoft also emphasizes at its main campus in Redmond, Washington.

"The new Silicon Valley campus will build on our legacy in the area and demonstrate our commitment to empowering employees, the community and our natural resources," Kevin Scott, CTO of Microsoft, said in a blog post.

Notable updates include a four-acre livable roof, a new gym and lots of windows. In addition, Microsoft intends to design the campus so that all the non-potable water it uses to irrigate plants or toilets is rain or recycled water from places on campus, such as kitchens and drinking fountains. The company forecasts that the conservation effort to reduce its drinking water consumption by more than 5%.

Microsoft expects to complete the renewal in December 2019.  

The new office spaces at Microsoft's Silicon Valley campus will be housed in connecting two-story structures.

The buildings will be constructed in part with Cross Laminated Timber, a type of wood panel that's made by gluing multiple beams of wood together. CLT is significantly more expensive than other building materials, but it doesn't require burning any fossil fuels to make and is considered to be more environmentally friendly than conventional lumber.

Employees will be able to take lunch breaks on the landscaped living roof.

Or in one of the many planned courtyards.

The new buildings will feature floor-to-ceiling windows.

 The plan is that no employee will be further than 30 feet from a natural light source.

The project will "follow a modern, holistic design sensibility that helps connect employees to each other," Microsoft says. 
 

One of the biggest perks will be a brand new fitness facility.

Even there, employees will be surrounded by natural light. 
 

Similar to Apple's new campus, Microsoft will feature a new theater.

But Microsoft's seemingly won't match Apple's Steve Jobs theater, the entrance of which is  encased entirely in glass.

Employees will also have a variety of food options.