(Credit: Amazon)Amazon has unveiled plans for the buildings that will house its new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The company says it will develop 2.8 million square feet of new office space across three 22-story buildings that will “prioritize areas for collaboration, natural light, and a constant interaction with nature.”
The buildings are designed to be LEED Platinum. They include an all-electric central heating and cooling system that will run on 100% renewable energy from a solar farm located in Pittsylvania County in southern Virginia. This will align with Amazon’s Climate Pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040
The headquarters — dubbed the Helix for its double helix shape and structure — will include two walkable paths of landscaped terrain that will spiral up the outside of the building, featuring plants native to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Amazon tasked architecture firm NBBJ to incorporate unique architectural and ecological elements in order to create a “sustainable, healthy environment for Amazon employees and the local community,” according to Architectural Digest.“Increasingly, we see leading companies invest in these strategies,” the project’s lead architect, Dale Alberda, told the magazine.
Open spaces will total more than 2.5 acres and will be open for public use. It will include an amphitheater, a “forest grove,” and a dog run, along with space for food trucks and farmer’s markets.
The new headquarters site was announced in 2019 to mixed reaction from Arlington businesses and residents.
