Google to establish NASA campus

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 05 June 2008 03:36

Your IT - Home IT

Google and NASA have been chummy for some time - and now they're going to be even closer neighbours.

Google is leasing 42.2 acres (17 hectares) of land at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

The 'Googleplex' - the company's head office - at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View is only a short distance west of Ames.

Google's plan is to create additional office and R&D space. But the company is well-known for the fringe benefits it provides its staff, and the development will also include company housing as well as staff dining, sports, fitness, child care, conference and parking facilities.

NASA employees stand to gain as well, since the plans include recreation and parking facilities for the agency.

The land is currently unimproved, and the 40 year lease provides for an initial rent of $US3.66 million per year. NASA will use the net proceeds to maintain and improve its property assets at Ames.

The term of the lease is structured as 40+3x10+2x10, which could see Google as a tenant at the beginning of the 22nd century. Construction is scheduled to begin by September 2013, with additional phases by 2018 and 2022.

"This long-term lease agreement is a key component of Google's strategy for continued growth in Silicon Valley," said David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate and workplace services.

"We believe this collaboration between Google, NASA and the city of Mountain View is emblematic of the mutually beneficial partnerships that can be created between the public and private sectors."