If Microsoft is Redmond, then Google is most certainly Mountain View. Yes, just like Microsoft, Google has locations around the globe. But, also like Microsoft, Google has its headquarters – as well as a huge chunk of its total office space – in a single locale. For a while, what with the large space purchases or leases in London and elsewhere, it seemed like that might not continue to be the case. However, thanks to the “Shoreline” area lease and an upcoming third Mountain View location, Google’s home seems quite evident.
The newest location is known as “The Quad,” and can be added to the Googleplex and the Shoreline (so named because of its location on Shoreline Boulevard). Of course, these two extra locales won’t be replacing the Googleplex (what ever could?). Rather, they will be a hop, skip, and a jump away. In the case of The Quad, that more specifically equates to three miles; it’s located on the other side of Highway 101.
Google will be renting six out of the seven buildings of the Quad until 2013, at which time they will move into the seventh building as well (it’s currently being used by Symantec). Even when only examining the six buildings to be leased initially, Google is expanding its office space by over 600,000 square feet – and that’s on top of the 600,000 to be built at the Shoreline location. The newest property increases Google’s total Mountain View holdings by about 25%.
The lease of the Quad will last for 10 years, beginning on January 1st of 2012. Prior to that date the location will be renovated to suit Google’s purposes. The exact details of the lease, including financial terms and which groups within Google would migrate to the new location, have not been disclosed.
[via Mashable]
