Dive Brief:
- Amazon unveiled plans Tuesday for phase two of its second headquarters in Arlington, VA, including the construction of four towers and surrounding amenities. The entire HQ2 project is worth $2.5 billion.
- The site’s centerpiece will be a 350-foot-tall glass structure adorned with trees and foliage native to the area. The building — the tallest on the campus — has been dubbed The Helix for its shape and design. The general contractor for the second phase, called PenPlace, is Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner and the project architect is Seattle-based NBBJ.
- The other buildings will be three 22-story office spaces surrounded by smaller retail buildings, woodlands, an amphitheater, a dog run and large areas for bicycle parking.
Dive Insight:
The Helix's twisting structure attempts to maximize use of outdoor space, as the foliage will decorate two outdoor walkways that spiral to the building’s peak.
Newly released renderings offer a unique new glimpse at the office and retail campus that will become part of the online retailer's second headquarters with 13,000 employees. The three office towers will total 2.8 million square feet of office space, the company said in a press release.
The site of phase two is just a stone’s throw from phase one, dubbed Metropolitan Park. There, Clark Construction began work on two 22-story office buildings in January 2020. Work is slated to finish in 2023. The first buildings in the second phase are expected for completion in 2025.
The buildings are designed to be LEED-Platinum, the highest certification issued by the U.S. Green Building Council. An all-electric central HVAC system will run on 100% renewable energy from a solar farm in Southern Virginia, and along with other green initiatives, will help Amazon reach net-zero carbon by 2040, the company said.
Arlington and the surrounding area will see massive changes due to Amazon’s investment. A recent report showed that more than $4 billion in transit projects would begin in the Northern Virginia area, much of it as a direct result of Amazon’s decision to build in the region.
