Amazon has unveiled the design of the front of its Arlington, Virginia headquarters, and a building stands out from the rest: a glass tower covered in trees up to a point above the rest of the city’s skyline. Amazon calls the building a “helix” because its corkscrew shape is inspired by the “natural beauty of the double helix.”
It also – it must be said – has a distinct resemblance to a swirling poop emoji despite being mixed in some healthy colors.
Inside, the Helix will be filled with a “variety of alternative work environments” that Amazon employees can use. On the outside, there will be two sets of spiral paths lined with local plants that you can literally grow. (However, if you want to bring a water bottle – the render will show the stairs all the way, indicating that it is a straight path.) The building will be 350 feet0 feet high. Wall Street Journal. Amazon says it plans to offer a public tour over the weekend.
Amazon has a similar standout structure at its Seattle headquarters. There, it has spheres full of spheres, three connecting glass globes. Its composition echoes in the same glass and green helix, albeit on a much larger scale.
Helix is still a proposal, so Amazon will need to get local approval before construction on the building can begin.
Along with Helix, Amazon also unveiled plans for other parts of its Arlington campus. In addition, three 22-storey buildings are planned. Among them, Amazon plans to build a plaza filled with green space and run a dog, which will be open to all. The company plans to create space for retail stores and restaurants and, of course, food trucks. There will also be parking for 950 bicycles Journal.
The first phase of Amazon’s Arlington headquarters was approved in December 2019. Construction is now underway on a pair of 22-storey towers.