Urban foxes inhabit roof of BIG and Heatherwick's Google landscraper

Foxes are reported to be digging burrows in the rooftop gardens of Google's upcoming office in King's Cross, London, designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio.

The manicured terraces, which are one of the 11-storey building's key features, have been inhabited by urban foxes since the early stages of the construction project, according to website London Centric.

However, according to a Google spokesperson, the damage caused is minimal.

"Fox sightings at construction sites are pretty common, and our King's Cross development is no exception," they told London Centric.

"While foxes have been occasionally spotted at the site, their appearances have been brief and have had minimal impact on the ongoing construction."

"There's a little hole in the garden"

BIG and Heatherwick Studio are designing the Google HQ in King's Cross as the tech giant's first wholly-owned space outside the USA.

Its nickname, the landscraper, is a reference to its length, which stretches 330 metres, making it longer than the UK's tallest building, the Shard, is tall.

The Shard is another London landmark that was home to wildlife during its construction, with a fox named Romeo found living on its 72nd floor, according to London Centric.

Among the Google HQ's key features is its 300-metre-long rooftop garden, which incorporates a running track, dining spaces and fitness areas.

Woven around the track are the manicured gardens, said to be made up of 40,000 tonnes of soil to support 250 trees.

In a report by The Guardian, sources familiar with the construction project confirmed sightings of the skulk – the collective noun for a group of foxes – in the absence of human occupants.

"There's a little hole in the garden where one lives," they said. "We've seen her all around the building – one second she's on the fifth floor, the next she's on the garden floor. No one has been able to catch her."

Google HQ also experienced water damage

An expert from local pest control firm EcoCare told The Guardian he has previously witnessed foxes on building sites in London as they search for food left behind by workers.

He also said they could be living off rats.

"Foxes thrive quite well on rodents – we don't live more than three metres away from the nearest rat," he said.

Plans for the new Google building were revealed in 2013. BIG and Heatherwick Studio are expected to finish up their work on it this year.

The building was originally set to be designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, but Heatherwick and Ingels were later drafted in, revealing their design in 2017. Its building services are being engineered by Atelier Ten.

The sighting of urban foxes at the building are not the only issue to have been recently reported at the site. According to The Telegraph, the building's wooden floors recently became so saturated with rainwater that they required complete repairs.

A worker at the site told the newspaper that "if they get this job done by the end of 2026, it would be a f*cking miracle".

Dezeen recently revealed exclusive photos of the landscraper as it nears completion in London.

Elsewhere, Heatherwick Studio and BIG also worked together on Google's California campus, which is topped with "dragonscale" roofs.

The photography is by Lizzie Crook.

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