Amazon just revealed its $4 billion 'Spheres' packed with a mini tropical forest - here's what it looks like inside
The Spheres are the “new visual focus and heart" of Amazon's downtown Seattle campus.Three glassy domes — the largest of which is 90 feet high and 130 feet wide — connect to form one large room.
To create them, 620 tons of steel was mixed with 12 million pounds of concrete. The 2,643 panes fill in the rest of the exterior to create the full structure.
The idea behind the spheres is greenery and biodiversity. Over 40,000 plants of 400 species fill the domes. Most of the plants are from tropical eco-systems referred to as "cloud forests" where high elevation enables plants to get moisture directly from clouds. The plants were chosen specifically so they could be comfortable at temperatures that are also comfortable for humans.
For scenery, the Spheres feature river and waterfall features, paludariums, and a four-story living wall.
The largest plant is a 55-foot tall Ficus rubiginosa called "Rubi," which towers above everything in the structure.
Amazon worked closely with faculty from the University of Washington and its department of biology on the project, and the company says the building of the Spheres created 600 full time jobs.
The Spheres are foremost a building for Amazon employees.
They have "treehouse" meeting rooms where Amazonians can collaborate among the foliage.
Nothing inside the Spheres is enclosed, and all rooms inside the Spheres are open to the verdant greenery.
The concept for the Spheres was inspired by the idea — supported by some academic research — that workspaces full of plant life can make workers more productive and creative.
The Spheres also feature a visitors center open to the public called "The Understory," where admission is free but a reservation is required. There's also the guided tours Amazon hosts of its campus, which stop in the Spheres, but that also requires a reservation. Amazon also says it will host educational opportunities for local students.
If you really want to get in, there is also space for two retail stores on the ground floor that will be open to the public eventually, and Amazon has also talked about hosting public events in the Spheres.
In total, Amazon says it spent $4 billion on the design and construction of the Spheres, a cost it states was an "investment" in its press release. The numerous plants the structure houses will surely be singing the company's praises for years to come.
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