Amazon Unveils 'Natural' New HQ Design

US retail leviathan Amazon has showcased its future headquarters: a greenhouse-styled urban construction designed by NBBJ.

Located in Seattle, Amazon's vision is comprised of a three-domed layout and two mirrored towers. These structures' combined office space would total approximately 65,000 square feet and the goal is to establish a "natural parklike setting" within the Pacific Northwest's largest city.

Each dome would stand up to 95 feet tall and, at its core, boast tree-covered pillars. Included would be standard office construction elements such as meeting rooms, food outlets and places to relax but also added to the mix would be what Amazon terms 'nature areas' and 'botanical zones', incorporating not only trees but a wide plant selection, featuring varieties obtained from many part of the world.

New Amazon HQ Design

Seattle City Council is now in possession of the new Amazon HQ design.

In the application, officials write: 'The intent behind the new design shown in the MUP revision is to create an alternative environment on Block 19, in the centre of the three-block development where employees can work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.' They add: 'The generative idea is that a plant-rich environment has many positive qualities that are not often found in a typical office setting.'

Amazon's bold 'natural' construction setting is just one of several exciting new office designs recently unveiled by the world's dominant technology firms. These include the Apple Campus 2 design, which takes the form of a giant ring positioned on a 176 acre site. Spread over four storeys, it'll include offices, housing, a fitness centre and a restaurant.

Elsewhere, Google has also expressed a desire to construct a second headquarters, complementing its Googleplex campus. Google's Bay View design is a nine-building affair, with each structure linked to the next by an interconnecting bridge.

Google intends to have Bay View operational in 2015, meaning it's set to open ahead of Amazon's and Apple's new constructions.

Amazon design image copyright NBBJ