RSSMS Accelerates Campus Expansion Plan
By Ed Oswald | Published February 9, 2006, 4:38 PM
Microsoft said Thursday that it was pumping an additional $1 billion into its planned 15-20 year plan to expand the company's Redmond campus.
With the additional funds, about half of the project would now be completed in three years. Upon its completion, Microsoft would become one of the largest corporate campuses in the world.
A total of 14 new buildings would be added, seven of which are new and another seven purchased by Microsoft. Based on current plans, the new buildings would house an additional 12,000 employees. Microsoft said this is critical to the company's future growth and expanding portfolio of products.
"In the software industry, things move quickly," Microsoft senior vice president Brad Smith said at the site of Building 99, the first of the newly constructed office buildings. "We are a company with bold goals for innovative and pioneering technology. This plan provides us the space for the current and future talent who will help us achieve those goals."
Local and state politicians joined the announcement and called Microsoft's plans indicative of the success of the local economy as well. Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire credited Microsoft with making the entire region and its businesses competitive in the global marketplace.
However two local politicians, King County Executive Ron Sims and Redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives, took the announcement as an opportunity to push for infrastructure improvements in the region to be able to handle the expected extra traffic.
"King County and its cities must continue to complement our beautiful natural resources with infrastructure and transportation solutions that deliver a quality of life and a business environment that help our major employers stay here," Sims told reporters.
Over the next three years, Microsoft plans to invest $35 million in transportation and infrastructure improvements within Redmond including improvements to streets, sewers, storm sewers and an overpass crossing Washington State Route 520, one of the access routes by Microsoft's campus.
Almost half of the company's 63,000 plus employees live and work in the Puget Sound area surrounding the Redmond campus, the company said.
OK, THIS is NOT Beta news..
What does this have to do with software?
Its old news, they reported this last year.. Way back in January.. This isn't even news worthy..
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|"OK, THIS is NOT Beta news..
What does this have to do with software?"
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Not everything on here is in beta, but if you want to get sticky wicky, MS has beta testers that test products, therefore software. Besides, who cares. Some knew about this and some didn't and some don't remember. It was/is a good refresher. So, it's newsworthy.
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|"Upon its completion, Microsoft would become one of the largest corporate campuses in the world."
I thought it already was...who currently holds the crown?
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|I don't know but IBM's corp campus in the 50's was 550-acres.
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|sprint currently has the largest campus ....
located in Kansas city i believe
(4 million sq. ft)
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|Dell maybe
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|I don't think so, Dell really doesn't need that many employees or equipment in one place. They only build computers after all.
IBM did all their research, chip manufacturing, and server/computer building at the same place.
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|Seems like Sony would be large also?
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|24,000,000 square feet? Is that area of the buildings, parking lots and garages, ladscaping, etc., or just office space?
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|DELL. Dell is much larger than Microsoft, and they are in the top 20 on fortune 500. DELL is HUGE!
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|Wrong.. not even close.
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|Wow, way to be up to date there, genius. In 50 years, you don't think a few things changed?
You need to quit drinking Bawls and playing with your iPod, what little brain cells are left, are getting overworked.
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|What planet are you on?
Have you even been to Dell? Evidently not. So quit making stuff up.
*IBM did all their research, chip manufacturing, and server/computer building at the same place.*
DID - Key word there, they don't even focus on Personal Computers anymore, they are about solutions. They sold off the majority of their properties years ago.
You obviously are going off ASSUMPTIONS, and you know what happens with an assumption.
You make and a** of U and UMPTION.
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|Nope, Sony is quite small, it won't be a japanese company, they are very tight for space.. Nowhere for them to move, it would have to be an American company.
Large does not necessitate efficiency, Corporations are about Grandieur and Lavish..
Look at UPS HQ. Its just sick the money the dumped into that place.
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|Okay...someone (rijp)needs to keep their voice down. We all realize that you believe you're right. Even if you are, you don't need to blast others for expressing their thoughts.
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|"You make and a** of U and UMPTION. "
I actually like that. Will have to use it on someone.
LOL
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