Some are unsure if they are a waste of money or a great way to inspire employees. Whatever the case, you have to say this for Google’s newly-designed London office: It is features an incredibly compelling design that looks like no other business office you’ll walk into this week. Or the next.

The office in question is located on London’s Victoria Place, and besides features amenities not normally found in other office areas, the design itself is something else. Images of Google’s newly refurbished London digs have been featured on around the web, including News.com’s Australian site and Ultralinx.com, and they provide a great look at perhaps the wave of the future for offices, at least ones in the tech industry. The lead image gives you an idea of how they look, which is expanded on below.

Video conferencing:

Game room:

“Chill out” area:

Hallway:

L4 Office:

Meeting Pods:

As you can see, the design for Google’s London office is so different, some are wondering if it’s an exercise in excessiveness. Besides the images, the refurbished offices contain a music room, a gym, a free restaurant, a garden area with deck chairs, a coffee house, and, of course, bean bags for seating located in various areas. See the chill out area for example.

While much hasn’t been written about the price of Google’s new London digs, you can tell by the images it wasn’t cheap, which lead to The Telegraph’s article about inspiration or a waste of money. However, the content of the article presents the office as more of a company perk than an excessive expenditure of funds:

Nelson Mattos, Vice President for Product and Engineering, told the opening night party in London that “Our engineers are generating ideas and products that all of us, as well as millions of people the world over, use and benefit from every day.” What he didn’t say is that Google needs to keep hold of them now more than ever. And it’s cheaper to do that with extraordinary buildings and free food than it is with burgeoning wages. Sometimes it takes both – but the nicer the facilities, the longer workers are likely to spend in them.

Google’s facilities have long had the reputation of being a place designed to keep employees at work longer, so this added amenities, complete with the futuristic design, serve the same purpose.

Employee incentive is a nice attraction for a company to have.

The Telegraph’s article also features video with interviews of various Google engineers who work in the new offices. Needless to say, the appeal is high:

Are these offices an exercise in excess or just a necessary evolution for a company who wants to keep their best and brightest?