The City Design Review Board has approved NBBJ’s tri-sphere biodome planned for Amazon’s downtown Seattle headquarters. Reaching up to 95 feet, the glass cluster of “Spheres” was designed to create an alternative work environment within the 3.3 million-square-foot office and retail campus that is currently under construction.
Responding to criticism, the revamped design will include both private and public areas, allowing anyone to “experience the Spheres close up.” A total 18,000 square-feet of retail space will be included within the Spheres lush interior, in addition to ample amounts of work, dining, meeting and lounge space. Further amenities will include a dog park, walkway and open field surrounding the exterior.
One letter to the design board, as reported by the Seattle Times, stated: “Amidst the current building boom of glass boxes and low-rise metal-clad apartments, it is so refreshing to see a design that reaches outside of Seattle for some ‘global’ architectural inspiration, and yet it is well designed and tailored to our own urban environment.”
The three-block campus will be located North of downtown, bounded by Blanchard and Lenora streets and Sixth and Seventh avenues. You can find more information about the campus’ design, including its trio of towers, here on ArchDaily.
Reference: Seattle.gov, The Seattle Times, GeekWire
