Everyone has heard of a snow globe, but what about a jungle sphere? Designed by NBBJ, the Spheres are a new plant-stuffed workplace at the center of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters. Exposure to nature has been proven to help relax people and increase their creativity, and the Spheres and their tens of thousands of plants are meant to do just that for Amazon’s employees.
Along with the approximately 40,000 plants and trees inside the Spheres are seating areas, including the wooden “bird’s nest” seating area; suspended walkways that wind through the plants; waterfalls; and a four-story living wall that occupies 4,000 sf. The temperature inside the Spheres will kept at an average of 72 degrees with 60% humidity during the day, a climate meant to mimic Costa Rica’s Central Valley, The Seattle Times reports There will also be micro-climates within the space so employees can find a spot with the perfect temperature.
The new building can accommodate 800 people and offers WiFi throughout. Amazon badges will be used to monitor how much time an employee spends inside for safety and capacity reasons.
The three connected Spheres occupy 70,000 sf and will be open to the public via guided tours and ground floor retail space.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA Course: Building with concrete – Design and construction techniques
Concrete maintains a special reputation for strength, durability, flexibility, and sustainability. These associations and a host of other factors have made it one of the most widely used building materials globally in just one century. Take this free AIA/CES course from Building Design+Construction and earn 1.0 AIA learning unit.
