New Amazon headquarters will make Virginia a sustainability capital

Amazon has unveiled plans for its new, state-of-the-art headquarters in northern Virginia, HQ2. The building will span 2.8 million square feet to house the company's offices, which will be split across three buildings, plus 2,000 5 acres of public space. The centerpiece of the campus will be the Helix , a glass structure with tree-lined walking trails winding around the building. The design was created by architecture firm NBBJ . The firm was tasked with combining architectural and ecological elements to create a sustainable and healthy building for both employees and the local community. With an estimated cost of $2.5 billion, the project aims to completely revitalize the region where it will be installed.

For this reason, the central building will have gardens with native plants and trees all around it – both in the external and internal areas. “It [the building] draws its inspiration directly from the natural world , where the geometry of the double helix can be found in many forms, including plants, shells, strands of DNA and even our galaxy,” Alberda said. In addition to 2.5 acres of public open space, an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and film screenings, and a wooded area, Amazon's new headquarters will offer street-facing retail and dining options, as well as dog parks, daycare, and spaces for food trucks.