US News

Google builds ‘floating office’— without permits

Google rocked the boat by building a massive floating office off the coast of San Francisco — and possibly one near Portland, Maine — without proper permits, CBS reported on Saturday.

In the Bay Area, the four-story shipping-container structure is believed to have been set up as a marketing center for the company’s new Google Glass — but construction halted suddenly a few weeks ago, leaving the barge empty and tethered to Treasure Island, CBS said.

“Google has spent millions on this. But they can’t park this barge on the waterfront without a permit, and they don’t have one,” an insider told CBS.

To get a permit, Google must prove that activity on the barge could not be done on land.

If the Web surfers are able to score permits, the barge would be moved to Fort Mason in San Francisco.

The city’s Conservation and Development Commission confirmed it had talks with Google about “hypothetical operations” set up on the water.

A similar structure was also spotted in a harbor off Portland, Maine, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Both may be Google “water-based data centers” powered by waves, according to the Press Herald.

A representative from Google did not return a request for comment on Saturday.