The rendering of Amazon HQ2 showing Helix, which includes workspace, will also be open to the public on selected weekends every month.
Courtesy: NBBJ
Amazon unveiled on Tuesday the latest study of its second headquarters in Northern Virginia.
The prominent feature of the HQ2 design proposal includes a unique structure, dubbed “The Helix”. Amazon described the 350-foot-tall office tower as a “vertical spiral forest” that features outdoor walkways with trees and plants that twist to the top of the building.
The shape of the building should resemble a double helix and touch the “innate connection between humanity and nature”, according to the architecture firm NBBJ, which is designing the structure.
Amazon unveiled new representations of its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, which include The Helix, a 350-foot-tall, uniquely designed tower.
Courtesy: NBBJ
Helix will serve as an alternative workspace for Amazon employees, but will also be open to the public on some weekends each month, similar to “spheres”, the nature-inspired centerpiece of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters.
Amazon said the projects are the proposed development plans for the second phase of new construction at HQ2. If the plans receive approval from Arlington County, the company expects to begin construction of the Helix and other office buildings on site in 2022. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.
The project plans include three retail pavilions to provide space for restaurants, stores, outdoor dining and meeting spaces.
Courtesy: NBBJ
Helix, combined with three other office buildings on site, called PenPlace, would create about 2.8 million square feet of office space.
In addition to office space, Amazon has reserved more than 2.5 hectares of open spaces that are accessible to the public. There is an amphitheater designed for outdoor shows, producer fairs and other activities, as well as public green spaces.
The campus includes 2.5 hectares of public open space.
Courtesy: NBBJ
A potential view of the retail and restaurant space in the pavilion area.
Courtesy: NBBJ
Amazon said the site will also include retail pavilions and restaurants, as well as other community spaces, such as a nursery, dog race and food truck area.
Amazon said the site prioritizes “walkways, landscaping and retail over motor vehicles”. She plans to build protected bike lanes on the streets near office buildings.
A potential view of the retail and restaurant space in the pavilion area.
Courtesy: NBBJ
Amazon chose Arlington as the HQ2 location, in addition to the Queens neighborhood in Long Island City, New York, as part of its widely publicized search for a second headquarters. The company announced in 2019 that it would halt plans to build its new headquarters in New York after facing resistance from local activists and city council leaders.
Last year, Amazon began building two additional 22-story office towers in a development known as Parque Metropolitano, located south of PenPlace.