Microsoft is planning a huge upgrade for its Redmond headquarters, aiming to overhaul the 500-acre campus in a new multi-year project.

Considering that Apple recently opened its new Apple Park campus and Amazon is looking for a second headquarters, Microsoft's expansion plans are not exactly surprising.

Microsoft Redmond HQ To Expand

As part of the upgrade project, Microsoft's Redmond headquarters will get 18 additional buildings, as well as new sports fields, transportation investments worth $150 million, and public spaces. The company's current campus houses 125 buildings, but that number will rise to 131 by the time the expansion is complete.

Microsoft says that its Redmond HQ has been its home for more than three decades and "crown jewel." However, it's time to grow and invest more to upgrade it so that it can become the best workplace for the 47,000 Microsoft employees who work there.

The project will kick off next fall and will also leave room to further expand operations and employ an additional 8,000 workers. Microsoft estimates that this project will take between five and seven years to complete.

"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," says Microsoft.

Redmond Campus Plans

The company is pouring billions of dollars into this campus upgrade project and it will tear down 12 buildings in the process, replacing them with 18 bigger and more modern ones. The development also includes a huge open plaza measuring two acres, which will be able to fit 12,000 people. The campus will also have facilities for cricket and soccer, walking and running trails as well as retail space so that its neighbors can also enjoy it.

All cars will go to an underground parking facility so that the campus remains open for bikes and pedestrians. A bridge across WA-520, which will link both sides of its campus, will be for cyclists and walkers only. This bridge will also connect to the upcoming Redmond Technology Transit Station, which will welcome Link Light Rail in 2023.

Microsoft also says that it wants its new campus to be more open rather than formal, and it will divide it into a set of "team neighborhoods." Lastly, the company also promises to run its operations in a sustainable manner, with a low impact on the environment.