Amazon campus interacts with nature
NBBJ has designed Amazon’s new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, with ‘The Helix’, a spiral-shaped glass tower wrapped in trees and walking trails, forming part of a complex of three offices.
The new headquarters encompasses 260 thousand square metres of workspaces across three 22-story buildings, retail pavilions, restaurants and public gathering areas.
The planned Amazon Campus in Arlington, Virginia.
“We believe,” says Amazon, “that campuses should be neighbourhoods that bring people together and not isolated, employee-only spaces that ignore their surroundings.”
Two walkable paths spiral outside the building, featuring landscaped terrain you might expect to see on a hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and allow employees to enjoy walking along a hill covered in woodland.
Construction is set to begin next year.
The offices prioritise natural light and interaction with nature, with indoor gardens and alternative work environments for Amazon employees amongst lush gardens and native trees.
Amazon plans to open The Helix and its green space to the public on select weekends.
Amazon has also commissioned ZGF Architects and James Corner Field Operations to create a 2.5-acre public park for Arlington, with construction due to begin in 2023.
Amazon believes campuses should be neighbourhoods that bring people together.
A forest grove provides shade, while a 200-seat amphitheatre facing the central green offers space for concerts and markets.
NBBJ says that the project, “creates an environment that prioritises healthy work, celebrates nature and engages the community across multiple scales,” as well as offering, “varied nature-infused experiences that invite discovery, collaboration and reflection.”
The plans infuse nature into the urban landscape.
Amazon Arlington aligns with Amazon’s pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040. NBBJ is aiming for a Platinum LEED environmental certification, with plans for the complex to be powered entirely by renewable energy from a solar farm in Pittsylvania County. The green spaces will be watered by rainwater runoff.
Investment has been made to move all vehicle access underground, with deliveries and docking to happen underground. Employee parking for 950 bikes is offered, with a quarter of a mile of protected cycling lanes and electric vehicle charging points on site.
“Our plans also infuse nature into the urban landscape and create a unique, sustainable environment where our employees can work and invent for our customers,” say Amazon. “Our designs create open and active spaces that aim to bring people closer to nature in an effort to further nurture innovation and creativity.”
Construction is due to begin in 2022.
The campus aligns with Amazon’s pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040.