E-commerce giant Amazon has unveiled the design of its new Arlington, Virginia HQ2 building, dubbed “the Helix” due to its winding shape that is supposed to take inspiration from “the natural beauty of a double helix.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has unveiled plans for its new Arlington, Virginia headquarters featuring an outdoor theme and double-helix design.
The second phase of Amazon’s development in Virginia calls for three 22-story office buildings and smaller retail buildings surrounded by woodlands, a dog run, parking for around 950 bicycles, and an outdoor amphitheater.
The centerpiece of the development will be the site’s tallest tower, a 350-foot building dubbed the Helix as it features two spiraling outdoor walkways with trees and plants from Virginia, twisting right to the top of the building.
The new office and retail buildings will accommodate around 13,000 employees and is part of Amazon’s more than $2.5 billion, 25,000-employee office campus that makes up the company’s second headquarters.
John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate and facilities, commented: “We have to think about this as a long-term investment. These buildings will begin to deliver in 2025. And so we believe that the world will be a much improved place than it is currently.”
Amazon reportedly plans to offer public tours of its headquarters on weekends. So far the design is just a proposal and the company still needs to receive local approval before construction of the building can begin. The building and surrounding campus were designed by the architecture firm NBBJ.
While Amazon has been investing heavily into its futuristic offices, many employees have reported poor working conditions at the company’s warehouses. As far back as 2018, Breitbart News has reported on the working conditions at Amazon fulfillment centers where employees allege that they are forced to urinate into bottles due to fears of being sanctioned for toilet breaks.
“[Targets] have increased dramatically. I do not drink water because I do not have time to go to the toilet,” one employee stated in 2018.
Another employee said: “The target grows every year. I do not have two more legs yet to make the 100% to pick, where you actually need to run and go to the toilet just during the break.”
Read more at Breitbart News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
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