Google hits back with futuristic HQ plans

Google has unveiled plans for a new campus headquarters integrating wildlife and sweeping waterways, aiming to make a big statement in Silicon Valley - which is already home to ambitious projects from Apple and Facebook.

The design also includes lush public gardens, looping covered bikeways and futuristic-looking buildings that can be moved about like toy blocks.

The redesign on the Google property in Mountain View, California, by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and London-based Thomas Heatherwick, was submitted to local officials on Friday, with details released on the company's official blog.

The latest huge design project in Silicon Valley comes as Apple is in the midst of building its "spaceship" campus and Facebook is using renowned architect Frank Gehry for its campus expansion.

Google - which has faced opposition from locals - said its new design is aimed at "rethinking office space."

"As we've inhabited a variety of workplaces - including a garage in Menlo Park (California), a farmhouse in Denmark and an entire New York city block - we've learned something about what makes an office space great," Google vice president for real estate David Radcliffe said in a blog post.

Radcliffe said the new campus will "lead to a better way of working."

He added that "instead of constructing immoveable concrete buildings, we'll create lightweight block-like structures which can be moved around easily as we invest in new product areas."

The plan includes large canopies over the campus which "regulate climate, pollution, and sound, while freeing spaces from traditional architectural limitations like walls, windows and roofs."

It aims "to blur the distinction between our buildings and nature," added Radcliffe.

One rendering shows a loop for bicycles and pedestrians going through the centre of one building, connecting with cafes and local shops.