Amazon to unveil its $4billion ‘mini-rainforest’ campus

Who needs the Amazon rainforest when you can bring the rainforest to Amazon.

The e-commerce giant is set to unveil its $4billion urban campus in downtown Seattle on Monday that features an innovative mix of office space and exotic plant life.

The company’s hard-working employees will be able to take a break from the daily grind by walking along stone pathways, observing mini-waterfalls, and enjoying the plant life from exotic locales in South America.

The massive project includes three office buildings in the shape of spheres – the tallest of which is 90 feet tall and 130 feet in diameter, Bloomberg News reported.

The three giant steel-framed, glass-enclosed domes at Sixth Avenue and Lenora Street in Seattle will house over 800 employees.

Vehicles pass in front of the Amazon.com Inc. Spheres in Seattle on Tuesday. The online retailer is scheduled to unveil the spheres Monday morning following seven years of planning and construction

The image above shows a 50ft-tall wall adorned with exotic plants inside the the Three Spheres in downtown Seattle

The image above shows a 50ft-tall wall adorned with exotic plants inside the the Three Spheres in downtown Seattle

The top of a 55-foot-tall tree nicknamed Rubi (short for Ficus rubiginosa), center, stands inside the Amazon.com Inc. Spheres in Seattle

The top of a 55-foot-tall tree nicknamed Rubi (short for Ficus rubiginosa), center, stands inside the Amazon.com Inc. Spheres in Seattle

The massive project includes three office buildings in the shape of spheres ¿ the tallest of which is 90 feet tall and 130 feet in diameter

The massive project includes three office buildings in the shape of spheres – the tallest of which is 90 feet tall and 130 feet in diameter

The three giant steel-framed, glass-enclosed domes at Sixth Avenue and Lenora Street in Seattle will house over 800 employees

The three giant steel-framed, glass-enclosed domes at Sixth Avenue and Lenora Street in Seattle will house over 800 employees

The staff members who will work there will have the luxury of admiring more than 40,000 plants from 400 different species from the company's Woodinville greenhouse

The staff members who will work there will have the luxury of admiring more than 40,000 plants from 400 different species from the company’s Woodinville greenhouse

The staff members who will work there will have the luxury of admiring more than 40,000 plants from 400 different species from the company’s Woodinville greenhouse.

After seven years of planning and construction, Amazon will cut the ribbon on the spheres, which are designed to not only give employees an opportunity to relax (briefly) on the job but also reinforce the company’s image as an innovative, think-outside-the-box corporation.

Amazon even brought in a large, 55-foot-tall Ficus tree that was first planted in California in 1969.

Today it weighs almost 36,000 pounds, requiring the company to hoist it by crane and drop it through a hole in the roof.

There is also a meeting place for employees known as 'the bird's nest,' which looks more like a wooden treehouse suspended 30 feet in the air

There is also a meeting place for employees known as ‘the bird’s nest,’ which looks more like a wooden treehouse suspended 30 feet in the air

For the employees working inside, the company built a suspension bridge allowing them a view of the large tree

For the employees working inside, the company built a suspension bridge allowing them a view of the large tree

Amazon's construction of the spheres generated 600 full-time jobs, ranging from design to actual building. The company even called on a horticulturalist to oversee the installation of plant life

Amazon’s construction of the spheres generated 600 full-time jobs, ranging from design to actual building. The company even called on a horticulturalist to oversee the installation of plant life

Ventilation ducts pump in fresh air for the benefit of a five-story wall of plants, like those seen in the above picture

Ventilation ducts pump in fresh air for the benefit of a five-story wall of plants, like those seen in the above picture

The planners had to dismantle part of the sphere in order to make room for the tree and then put the sphere back together again.

For the employees working inside, the company built a suspension bridge allowing them a view of the tree.

The inside of the spheres will even feel like a rainforest.

The climate will be controlled. The air temperature will be held at a constant 72 degrees while the humidity will be 60 percent.

In some locations, the climate will vary, with temperatures that either rise or drop by as much as five degrees.

There is even a ventilation system that simulates an outdoor breeze.

At the highest point of the spheres, workers and visitors can lounge in a hangout spot (as seen in the photo above)

At the highest point of the spheres, workers and visitors can lounge in a hangout spot (as seen in the photo above)

Amazon's construction of the spheres generated 600 full-time jobs, ranging from design to actual building

Amazon’s construction of the spheres generated 600 full-time jobs, ranging from design to actual building

Water mists from a wall of plants inside the spheres. The unveiling of its downtown Seattle campus comes in the midst of speculation as to which city Amazon will choose as the home of its planned $5billion second headquarters project

Water mists from a wall of plants inside the spheres. The unveiling of its downtown Seattle campus comes in the midst of speculation as to which city Amazon will choose as the home of its planned $5billion second headquarters project

'This structure is about thinking big and thinking long term,' said John Schoettler, the head of Amazon's global real estate division

‘This structure is about thinking big and thinking long term,’ said John Schoettler, the head of Amazon’s global real estate division

A visitor stands on the suspension bridge inside the facility

A visitor stands on the suspension bridge inside the facility

Ron Gagliardo, senior manager of horticultural services at Amazon (right), and John Schoettler, vice president of global real estate and facilities for Amazon, point out various species of plants inside the campus

Ron Gagliardo, senior manager of horticultural services at Amazon (right), and John Schoettler, vice president of global real estate and facilities for Amazon, point out various species of plants inside the campus

Ventilation ducts pump in fresh air for the benefit of a five-story wall of plants.

At the highest point of the spheres, workers and visitors can lounge in a hangout spot.

There is also a meeting place for employees known as ‘the bird’s nest,’ which looks more like a wooden treehouse suspended 30 feet in the air.

‘From the moment we started construction, people would stand on the street corners taking photographs,’ said John Schoettler.

Schoettler runs Amazon’s global real estate division.

‘This structure is about thinking big and thinking long term.’

Amazon’s construction of the spheres generated 600 full-time jobs, ranging from design to actual building.

The company even called on a horticulturalist to oversee the installation of plant life.

The unveiling of its downtown Seattle campus comes in the midst of speculation as to which city Amazon will choose as the home of its planned $5billion second headquarters project.

The company has made a list of 20 finalists who are vying to host the HQ2 facility, which is expected to generate 50,000 new jobs.

Amazon will announce a winner later this year. 



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