June 23, 2017
The Cora Group breaks ground on evolv1 – Developer of Canada’s first net zero positive commercial office building welcomes TextNow as project’s latest anchor tenant
June 23, 2017 (WATERLOO, ON) – The Cora Group, a premier developer and manager of Class A office space located in the Waterloo Region today officially broke ground on evolv1, Canada’s first net zero commercial multi-tenant office building. The company also announced today that TextNow, one of North America’s fastest growing tech companies, will make evolv1 its new corporate headquarters.
evolv1, located in the Waterloo IdeaQuarter adjacent to the University of Waterloo, is a project envisioned by The Cora Group, the David Johnston Research + Technology Park, Sustainable Waterloo Region and anchor tenant EY. The building is a LEED Platinum candidate and when complete, will produce more energy than it consumes. It is also purpose-designed to tick the Workspace 2.0 boxes desired by fast-growing tech companies and demanded by today’s millennial workers, offering light-filled office areas, superior air quality, creative collision spaces, coffee shop amenities, ample free parking, EV charging stations and proximity to light rail transit.
“When we think about a clean economy, evolv1 is a game-changer,” says Tova Davidson, Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo Region. “For other building owners and emerging companies who are looking for a place to call home, there is no reason to say that financially, a zero carbon footprint is not possible.”
Waterloo-based TextNow, one of the fastest growing wireless phone companies and one of North America’s fastest growing companies, will occupy 25,000 square feet including a 4,000 square foot fitness centre for employees within the new building when evolv1 opens its doors to tenants in 2018. “Since our startup days at the Waterloo Accelerator Centre, we have called the R+T Park home, so to be able to find the perfect fit for our new corporate headquarters right in the area we know and love is a huge advantage,” says Derek Ting, Co-Founder and CEO of TextNow. “evolv1’s proximity to the University of Waterloo puts us right next to one of the most robust talent pipelines in the world. We’re constantly looking for ways to attract and retain the very best talent and with our mission, our unique culture and now our plan to reside in one of the coolest workspaces in Waterloo, all of the pieces are coming together.”
“The building industry is excited and energized by evolv1’s net zero carbon footprint. This is breakthrough stuff. However evolv1 is so much more than a sustainability story,” says Adrian Conrad. “This is about building desirable spaces where people want to work. Our tenants – all fast-growing leaders in the technology and professional services sectors – face a hotly competitive talent marketplace. They are choosing evolv1 because their staff appreciate its light, its air, its amenities and its proximity to transportation.”
Cora Group COO Adrian Conrad and CEO Manfred Conrad, Tova Davidson, Executive Director, Sustainable Waterloo Region, Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger, University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur, Cynthia McIntyre, Managing Partner for EY, and TextNow CEO Derek Ting marked today’s announcement with an official ceremony at The Toby Jenkins Applied Health Research Building, Back Parking Lot, located at 340 Hagey Blvd, North Campus, University of Waterloo.
