BrandWikiReturn

Day 1 (building)

Day 1, also known as Amazon Tower II and Rufus 2.0 Block 19,[7] is a 521 ft office building in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, located at the intersection of Lenora Street and 7th Avenue.[6] It is part of the three-tower complex that serves as the headquarters of Amazon. The name "Day 1" previously belonged to two buildings on Amazon's South Lake Union campus, but both structures have since been renamed. The building's east facade features a large sign reading "Hello World".[8] The construction project was the most expensive in the city to finish in 2016 amidst the recent downtown housing boom.[2]

The building also houses the prototype Amazon Go location, which opened to a private beta in December 2016[9] and to the general public on January 22, 2018.[10]

Design and construction

The Amazon campus, designed by Seattle architecture firm NBBJ and landscape architecture firm Site Workshop,[11][12] was approved by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development in late 2012. Excavation on the 37-story Tower II began under the direction of Sellen Construction in 2014.[13] It opened on November 7, 2016.[14] The project, covering the entire three-block campus, is also on track to receive LEED Gold certification.[11][15]

Spheres

The block also features three intersecting 80 to 90 ft glass-and-steel spheres facing Lenora Street that will house five stories of additional work space for 1,800 employees and retail, totaling 65,000 sqft.[16][17][18] NBBJ intends the spheres to be the "new visual focus and 'heart'"[19] of Amazon's headquarters. The design was showcased by Amazon in 2013, thereby scrapping an earlier plan intending to construct a six-story rectilinear office building in that same location. The architects behind the organic design of the domes relied on the idea that better productivity can be initiated by introducing more sunlight and plants into the work space according to recent research.[19]

When revealed in 2013, the planned design for the spheres, separated from the building by a lawn and dog park,[20] was generally met with support and earned the project international press coverage.[21][22][23] One of the few critics included Seattle city design review board member Mathew Albores, who compared its pedestrian hostility to the EMP Museum, offering no rain protection and little retail.[24] The spheres opened on January 31, 2018.[25]

See also

References

  1. 13 Million Pounds of Structural Steel Later… Block 19 Celebrates Topping Out Sellen Construction, December 8, 2015, retrieved December 10, 2015^
  2. Mike Rosenberg. Record construction frenzy sweeps downtown Seattle; more building to come The Seattle Times, March 10, 2017, retrieved March 27, 2017^
  3. {{CTBUH|id=17084|title=Amazon Tower II}}^
  4. Amazon Tower II Emporis^
  5. Construction Updates for Blocks 14, 19 & 20 Sellen Construction, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  6. Rufus 2.0 Block 19 Sellen Construction, retrieved March 4, 2016^
  7. Eric Pryne. Amazon's 3-block complex has a timetable — and a name The Seattle Times, June 8, 2012, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  8. Nat Levy. It's day one at Day One: Amazon opens second huge office building at new Seattle campus GeekWire, November 7, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2016^
  9. Ángel González. Amazon unveils smart convenience store sans checkouts, cashiers The Seattle Times, retrieved December 11, 2016^
  10. Amazon Go is finally a go: Sensor-infused store opens to the public Monday, with no checkout lines GeekWire, January 21, 2018, retrieved January 22, 2018^
  11. Amazon at Denny Triangle: Work Global, Live Local NBBJ, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  12. siteworkshop siteworkshop, retrieved November 30, 2018^
  13. Aubrey Cohen. Seattle OKs Amazon towers Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 30, 2012, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  14. Casey Coombs. Amazon opens doors of 36-story 'Day One' tower Puget Sound Business Journal, November 7, 2016, retrieved November 7, 2016^
  15. Lital Khaikin. Amazon's New Seattle Office Aiming For LEED Gold Status Ecopedia.com, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  16. Sanjay Bhatt. Amazon bubble building gets a cellular look The Seattle Times, August 19, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  17. Marc Stiles. City signs off on design of Amazon's spherical building Puget Sound Business Journal, December 9, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  18. 3 giant spheres on Lenora will offer 'relaxing getaway spot' for Amazon Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, March 8, 2016, retrieved March 8, 2016^
  19. Patrick Klacza. Is Amazon's Dome Headquarters The Workspace Of The Future? Popular Science, April 15, 2016, retrieved March 13, 2017^
  20. Kara Swisher. Amazon Builds the Spheres, While Google Opts for the Hulk AllThingsD, October 26, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  21. Kirk Johnson, Nick Wingfield. As Amazon Stretches, Seattle's Downtown Is Reshaped The New York Times, August 25, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  22. Oliver Wainwright. Amazon to build futuristic HQ of greenhouse domes in downtown Seattle The Guardian, December 20, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  23. Padraig Belton. How the tech industry is redesigning the future workplace BBC News, May 1, 2015, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  24. Sanjay Bhatt. Amazon's plan for giant spheres gets mixed reaction The Seattle Times, May 21, 2013, retrieved August 8, 2015^
  25. Sally Ho. Striking Amazon 'Spheres' landmark opens in downtown Seattle Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2018, retrieved February 18, 2018^