Amazon's plans for its new headquarters in 2022
Content
Purpose of the new headquarters.
Amazon headquarters background.
Cost and approach of the construction project.
The Pen place as Amazon's second headquarters.
Objectives of the construction project.
Obstacles that have had in the development of the new headquarters.
Advantages of the new headquarters for the community.
A mazon is one of the most recognized companies on the planet, and its success will continue for many more. Therefore, it requires a headquarters that gives it more prestige and makes it clear who dominates the market.
Its CEO Jeff Bezos is clear about his goal, so he plans to finish his $2.5 trillion headquarters by July 2022.
The truth is that it has become very common for large companies to have futuristic buildings with cutting-edge technology. Companies like Microsoft, Google or Apple, need incredible facilities that allow them to carry out all their work and production activities.
Purpose of the new headquarters
Amazon is among that select group of companies that have excelled in the market by offering multiple services and products of the highest quality.
A few have been planning the expansion of their offices, the idea of this expansion is not only to provide a better environment for their employees. It would also benefit in increasing the fluidity in the work operations they carry out.
This is not just about building a mega building with lots of offices to accommodate thousands of computers and desks. The idea is to have a great work of modern architecture that stands out in functionality, style and design.
Amazon Headquarters Background
In the beginning, Amazon's first headquarters was just a small rented office in a neighborhood located in Seattle. But eventually, with the colossal growth that the relocation of its offices had, it was already inevitable.
For several years they were renovating and expanding their various locations. But in 2017 they announced that they were going to build new facilities in Arlington (Virginia) very close to the east coast of the United States, andd it will be known by the name of Amazon HQ2 and will function as an extension of the headquarters located in Seattle.
Construction project cost and approach
The approximate cost of this huge headquarters is $5 billion, so it will undoubtedly be a fairly ambitious project for the company and for the public.
It is designed to have an eco-friendly approach and produce 25,000 job offers with salaries that are around $50,000 a year.
The Pen place as Amazon's second headquarters
The second Amazon headquarters, also known as Pen place, will inevitably cause a transformation of the common environment of the residents of Arlington, since its extension covers about 260 thousand square meters with its three 22-story buildings and common areas.
Amazon has not revealed many details regarding the interior of the offices, since the most challenging part of the project is the propeller, which by the way many make a joke, due to its resemblance to the shape of the well-known excrement emoticon that mobile devices bring.
This spiral cone-shaped building will have a height of 106 meters and a large area of gardens and walkways for people to walk.
The nbbj studio will be in charge of developing it, said it already has offices in Washington for greater proximity to the facilities and is designed as one of the central elements of the project.
Construction project objectives
One of the objectives, according to the statements made by the directors of the company, is to build a complex that is full of many gardens and trees that would be located throughout the structure, so that people can feel in a natural world.
The idea is that vegetation can abound both inside and outside the propeller, which would be under the continuous supervision and protection of a team of professional horticultural specialists.
Although the offices are not in this building, but in other neighboring buildings, the architect Dale Alberda confirmed that the larger spaces will not only be useful for receiving visitors.
If not, they will also be useful for work activities, since people can have at their disposal a central place with capacity for about 1500 people, and an ideal environment to have meetings and conferences, video calls or perform office automation work with their own laptops.
In addition to this, it will be accompanied by an eco-friendly design that gives this Amazon headquarters the certification of the US green building council.
In order to achieve this, they had to make use of lighting for the interior spaces. They even implemented a heating and cooling system that run on electricity and reuse water from natural rain.
It is planned to power the facilities of the HQ2 building with renewable energy that is transported from a solar farm located in Pennsylvania (Virginia) approximately 300 km away.
The objective is to reduce the notable carbon emissions that caused the harsh criticism of the company, and also promote a beneficial climate for the neighborhood and the community.
The Pen Place is expected to be open to the public, as it will have an area of 10,000 square meters with enough space available for community use.
It will have a commercial zone containing restaurants, a farmer's market, nurseries, pet parks, an open cinema, an amphitheater for concerts, and areas like many trees for workers to recreate during off-work hours.
The design of the Pen place is based on the concept of biophilia, that is, a place that allows employees to have direct and frequent contact with nature, carry out recreational activities, physical exercise and enjoy a peaceful environment.
In reality, Amazon is thinking about everything that is required to be able to have a place where the day to day can go by without any inconvenience.
This building aims to become a social center that stands out in the middle of the city by making its campuses available to people, so that they can jog, ride bicycles, buy in commercial stores, and watch the sunset in the gardens of the complex.
Obstacles that have had in the development of the new headquarters
However, the plans for these headquarters have not received all the acceptance that was expected from the North American community. Because the construction team received a lot of opposition that made them reconsider a headquarters relocation.
When Amazon announced the new headquarters construction project in 2017, they received 230 offers from cities and states across the country offering to host the headquarters.
It is clear that everyone saw the multiple benefits that the Amazon project could bring. After receiving so many offers, the decision was made to place part of the facilities in New York.
But thanks to a wave of protests over problems with the city's subway and even an act of vandalism to an Amazon store, they caused a change in the opinion of the board of directors, so they ruled out New York as an alternative.
The final decision was to settle in Virginia, because it met the social and geographic conditions to increase the creation of new jobs and give the company a better demand for services.
For this reason, Arlington provided financing, tax privileges and other things so that there would be a better and greater development in the activities carried out.
Advantages of the new headquarters for the community
The HQ2 will be very close to Crystal city, Pentagon city and Potomac Yac. You will also be very close to the rail and bus system, the Ronald Reagan Airport. This guarantees a significant flow of people that will benefit the new headquarters and its development.
It is true that the Amazon project is a challenge for those who participate in its development and completion. But there is no denying that it contributes to the improvement of work operations and the lifestyle of the neighborhood.
Even the company is already making efforts to improve its relationship with the residents of the community. One of those efforts is to contribute to the construction of thousands of affordable homes, always keeping an eco-friendly approach in mind throughout the project.
The gardens will be open to the public, and the workers will be benefited by the pleasant working environment that they will have in the headquarters facilities, with the idea that they will contribute to a greater commitment and performance of all those employees who work in the new headquarters from Amazon.