The Breithaupt Block Phase III | 11 fl | U/C

[panamaniac]

Perhaps - dare I think it - that with all this news, the original vision of an office tower on top of King Centre might not be such a hare-brained idea anymore?

For all the growth Google has seen, I had no idea they were expanding this ambitiously.

Wouldn't that be nice, after all these years.

[westwardloo]

Perhaps - dare I think it - that with all this news, the original vision of an office tower on top of King Centre might not be such a hare-brained idea anymore?

For all the growth Google has seen, I had no idea they were expanding this ambitiously.

That certainly would be interested. I would love it if they actually tore down a section of the king centre between hall lane and king. Then built something with a nice street interaction along king. One can dream google.

[Momo26]

Holy moly that's bigggg. Well we all knew some tech company or companies would take over the Manulife building. I haven't been inside but apparently it's really nice (renovated not terribly long ago?). Who would have known Google would take it all (on top of building an entire new building)!

[Rainrider22]

Yes but in Waterloo

[BruceAshe]

Holy moly that's bigggg. Well we all knew some tech company or companies would take over the Manulife building. I haven't been inside but apparently it's really nice (renovated not terribly long ago?). Who would have known Google would take it all (on top of building an entire new building)!

The most recent renovation Manulife did was finished late 2016/early 2017. The nicest floor is the one currently being done for Google. The basement level has parts that still sort of look like the former food court of King Centre.

Manulife has employees there until sometime this summer because construction is still being done at the building in Waterloo.

[Momo26]

Just to be clear, Google is taking over the Manulife brown building in downtown Kitchener next to Charlie west, not the Waterloo one next to Conestoga correct?

[jeffster]

Just to be clear, Google is taking over the Manulife brown building in downtown Kitchener next to Charlie west, not the Waterloo one next to Conestoga correct?

Google is taking something in Kitchener, not Waterloo, though I thought it would have been in the Tannery. I had heard through the grapevine that MS was interested in Manulife.

[taylortbb]

Just to be clear, Google is taking over the Manulife brown building in downtown Kitchener next to Charlie west, not the Waterloo one next to Conestoga correct?

Yes, the one in downtown Kitchener that Manulife announced they're moving out of. Manulife is consolidating into their building in Waterloo.

Just to be clear, Google is taking over the Manulife brown building in downtown Kitchener next to Charlie west, not the Waterloo one next to Conestoga correct?

Google is taking something in Kitchener, not Waterloo, though I thought it would have been in the Tannery.  I had heard through the grapevine that MS was interested in Manulife.

Google already leases half the tannery, but they gave the space over to Communitech and Velocity when they moved into Breithaupt. Legally they could take it back, but they don't want to burn all their local goodwill. That's why their logo is still up there beside D2L and Communitech.

[panamaniac]

If you read the Globe and Mail, it's all in "Waterloo". They persist in describing everything technology-related as being in "Waterloo", even when it's in Kitchener. In the past week, they've done it with both Miovision and Google. It's quite annoying.

[Rainrider22]

Yup. but that is because of Waterloo EDC... they changed the name to Waterloo because they say it is a more recognizable brand name... Whatever, I find it very annoying as a proud person born and raised in Kitchener to have to be referred to Waterloo all the time. I work in Peel Region, No one calls Mississauga or Brampton Peel. But if they want to refer to both cities, they say Peel. Never make the name of a region the same as the name of a city...

[Momo26]

Upvote for that one Rainrider22 ^

I've even found myself in the past saying Waterloo, but more often 'Kitchener-Waterloo' to folks outside of the region. I guess part of me tries to make it sound larger and more of a metropolis by combining the two (has anyone else described it as the 'dual-cities, leaving one, don't realize you are in the other' sort of thing?)

Agreed though, can change the narrative by saying Kitchener by itself, loud and proud.

[westwardloo]

If you read the Globe and Mail, it's all in "Waterloo".  They persist in describing everything technology-related as being in "Waterloo", even when it's in Kitchener.  In the past week, they've done it with both Miovision and Google.  It's quite annoying.

Just another reason we should amalgamate. At least the three cities. The reason they say waterloo is because the region has branded "Waterloo" as a tech centre with population of 600,000. Which is a smart move. They don't market Kitchener with 233 000 or Waterloo with 130,000.  It would make us look small and confuse potential investors. Big tech companies need to know that there will be enough potential employees to service the expansion in the region.  Who cares if they said waterloo. The point is that Google is expanding in the region which is great for everyone in the region and by making it publicly known that Google is investing in Waterloo tech hub maybe other big tech companies will look into the region and see the young talent exist here and also look to create a hub here. 

The reason people say Brampton or Mississauga is because they have a population to justify that. Brampton has over 500,000 and Mississauga has over 800,000.

[Rainrider22]

If you read the Globe and Mail, it's all in "Waterloo".  They persist in describing everything technology-related as being in "Waterloo", even when it's in Kitchener.  In the past week, they've done it with both Miovision and Google.  It's quite annoying.

Just another reason we should amalgamate. At least the three cities. The reason they say waterloo is because the region has branded "Waterloo" as a tech centre with population of 600,000. Which is a smart move. They don't market Kitchener with 233 000 or Waterloo with 130,000.  It would make us look small and confuse potential investors. Big tech companies need to know that there will be enough potential employees to service the expansion in the region.  Who cares if they said waterloo. The point is that Google is expanding in the region which is great for everyone in the region and by making it publicly known that Google is investing in Waterloo tech hub maybe other big tech companies will look into the region and see the young talent exist here and also look to create a hub here. 

The reason people say Brampton or Mississauga is because they have a population to justify that. Brampton has over 500,000 and Mississauga has over 800,000.

I get it....  You missed the point that some of us are proud Kitchener residents..thats all...   They should never have made it the Region of Waterloo,  it should have been a different name  That was the additional point I was making...

[panamaniac]

In fact, I see that the Globe and Mail article about Google has been revised to make the Kitchener location clearer. I imagine they got complaints....

[westwardloo]

Just another reason we should amalgamate. At least the three cities. The reason they say waterloo is because the region has branded "Waterloo" as a tech centre with population of 600,000. Which is a smart move. They don't market Kitchener with 233 000 or Waterloo with 130,000.  It would make us look small and confuse potential investors. Big tech companies need to know that there will be enough potential employees to service the expansion in the region.  Who cares if they said waterloo. The point is that Google is expanding in the region which is great for everyone in the region and by making it publicly known that Google is investing in Waterloo tech hub maybe other big tech companies will look into the region and see the young talent exist here and also look to create a hub here. 

The reason people say Brampton or Mississauga is because they have a population to justify that. Brampton has over 500,000 and Mississauga has over 800,000.

I get it....  You missed the point that some of us are proud Kitchener residents..thats all...   They should never have made it the Region of Waterloo,  it should have been a different name  That was the additional point I was making...

I get that people are proud Kitchener residents which is great, count me as one of them. That doesn't stop me from wanting amalgamation even if we end up with Waterloo as our official name. People of North York and Scarborough are proud to be residents of that area and still tell people within Toronto that they live in those neighborhoods. Foreign investors don't care though, they set up in Toronto because it is a known name, they might actually be locating in North York. Waterloo like it or not is the name that has clout in the tech world, that is why the region and the cities use it when luring investors. It was also waterloo county before the regional government was formed.