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Google is expanding in Kitchener-Waterloo and the move of the company’s office location from the Tannery building into the Breithaupt Block is officially well under way.
On Monday November 16th, 2015, Google employees began making their way into the historic building, and are now the new ‘kids’ on the Breithaupt Block. Chefs arrived early in the morning hours to prep food for the cafeteria and the weight room had a few fitness enthusiasts working out before the light of day. The rock climbing wall, while currently still empty, eagerly awaits a few Googlers to break in some new routes. While Google has hired many local resources, a bus arrives and departs daily to bring in commuters from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in coach style class.
Google needed to expand their office space to accommodate further growth in research and development. The Silicon Valley tech giant first acquired a local mobile technology company in 2005 and from this acquisition began a local engineering and programming presence for the region.
The company currently has 240 employees with locals suggesting the company is rumoured to eventually hire up to 1000 new resources. Mad Hatter Technology Agency Director Melanie Witzell made the same shift two years earlier in 2013, moving her company from the Tannery into the Breithaupt Block. While enjoying the space in the historic building, she states “I think Google will eventually close in on the rest of the available space as leases come up for renewal. It will make sense for them to occupy the entire building if they continue to grow. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the building and the good tech company while we’re here.” The shift to the Breithaupt Block from the Tannery has Google now leasing up to 75% of the office space, 175,000 square feet of the available space in former rubber manufacturing plant. The extension of the end building will bring the available space to approximately 210, 000 square feet, once the 36,000 ft currently under construction is complete.
The relocation to the Breithaupt Block means the eventual exodus of Google from the historic Tannery building located just a few blocks away on the corner of Charles and Victoria street in Kitchener. There is an entirely new glass addition under construction at the end of the building and this will make room for more Google employees in the new year. The new addition will have underground parking and with its sharp edged and angled architectural design is modernizing the corner end of the building and the block. The new glass building will be connected to the fourth floor of the once rubber manufacturing plant by a causeway connecting the new architecture with the old brick and wood beam ambiance of the historic building. Google will complete its move into the modern end of the building in 2016.
The Breithaupt Block and the Tannery are located in Canada’s Technology Triangle, and Waterloo Region continues to be a hotbed for technology, incubation, start-ups and venture-backed companies within Canada. Google is currently hiring for a variety of full-time roles and resumes are due by November 30th, 2015.
Fast & Fun Facts
- Google signed a ten year lease at the Breithaupt Block
- Waterloo Region now has the biggest development office for Google in Canada
- Canadian Googlers are affectionately called “Canooglers”
- Development and management teams value speed & reward passion
- Google prioritizes collaborative and cross-functional teams
- Focus is on innovation and large global products designed to scale
- Steven Gregory Woods is the site director responsible for engineering activities
- Steven is the Canadian entrepreneur who co-founded Quack.com
- Quack.com was acquired by American Online / Time Warner
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