Slate Office REIT has completed a 60,000 square foot lease for tech hub Volta Labs in the Maritime Centre in downtown Halifax.

Volta Labs currently occupies about 20,000 square feet of the nineteen-storey building at 1505 Barrington Street. This new space will occupy the ground, mezzanine and second floors, with more room for resident start-up companies, corporate innovation outposts and Volta’s 600 network members. Expansion will start this winter, also making way for a large multi-purpose space, private meeting rooms, and larger co-working spaces.

“These new headquarters will allow Volta to be the growth catalyst for Halifax’s technology community, establishing a home base inside the city’s Innovation District and attracting new interest from entrepreneurs,” said Volta Labs CEO Jesse Rodgers. “For many reasons, Halifax is a great place to build a technology-focused company and we are looking forward to providing more resources to these businesses. Ultimately, this growth will result in new jobs and a massive economic impact for Nova Scotia.”

Maritime Centre stands at 549,171 square feet and is currently the largest office property in Canada east of Montreal.

“Slate Office REIT has a long-term commitment to revitalizing Halifax’s iconic Maritime Centre and we are proud that the building has become an integral part of Halifax’s Innovation District, with Volta as a marquee tenant,” said Slate Office REIT CEO Scott Antoniak. “Slate Asset Management has an excellent track record of repositioning assets and will bring this expertise to the Maritime Centre.”