Grand Opening with the Prime Minister

An extensive renovation of a former rubber factory sets the search giant up for another growth spurt in Canada

Sissi Wang

Last week, prime minister Justin Trudeau helped Google celebrate the unveiling of its new Kitchener-Waterloo office. In the last 10 years, Google expanded its KW office from just four employees to 400 today. To accommodate the growth, it’s invested in a new headquarter to house 350 engineers, who are coding away on products used by people around the world including Gmail, Chrome, the OnHub router and Google Fiber. The company has transformed the interior of the four storey–tall establishment that was once a rubber factory to achieve a more modern feel. It’s also put an emphasis on sustainability that could make it the first building in Canada to receive LEED V4 Gold status.

Expanding the office in Kitchener-Waterloo also has other benefits. The location makes it easy for Google to source engineering talents from the University of Waterloo nearby. Currently, the school’s graduates make up about 60% of its employees. Sam Sebastian, managing director of Google Canada, says the new headquarter, with capacity for 1,000 employees, demonstrates Google’s intentions to grow further in Canada.