Visiting The Seattle Spheres
When a city becomes sizeable, like Seattle, their downtowns grow vertical.
As demand exceeds supply of square footage, both earth and sky give in to its populations and commerce. In a typical city view, rectangles of varying height and girth crowd in for their piece of the action. Unfortunately, in Seattle’s case they also block the little sunlight it gets.
Not so in the Denny Triangle. Located in the cradle of Lenora, 6th and 7th Avenues, Amazon’s corporate landmark adds a new dimension of shape to the city: The Spheres. On this block, the sun’s somewhat rare appearance can shine clear through from one street to another. The three adjoining Spheres are encased in 2,643 panes of glass four stories high.
A century ago, the topography of the area was a steep hill. The drastic Denny Regrade reshaped a section of Seattle, literally flattening the area and moving millions of tons of earth to create part of it’s famous waterfront. It was a project perhaps befitting of things to come. The corporation that has reshaped commerce – and flattened competitors – now occupies millions of square feet of office space between the shorelines of South Lake Union and Elliot Bay. The sub city is now called Amazonia or Amazonland. Street slang for the Spheres has been heard as Bezo’s Balls. Yes, Seattleites can be a bit blue in both seasonal affective disorder and a twang of obscenity. The mainlining of strong coffee helps keep both in check.
When a company becomes the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace and a disrupter of unparalleled proportions in modern life, the employee lounge better be good. No crusty coffee pots on cramped, cracked formica counters here. The idea of the Spheres was born of biophilic design elements ~ on an Amazon grand scale. We’re all familiar with biophilic elements, if not the word. Simply put: it’s the concept of bringing the natural environment inside a built structure (aka, An Office) to foster healthier humans and outlooks. You know… a plant or two by your desk, a vase of silk flowers in the lunchroom. A few leaves that remind you of the natural environment outside even though you’re in a typical corporate landscape. As we know, Amazon is not your typical corporation. The Spheres then, is Amazon’s homage to the ultimate employee lounge.
Jeff Bezos, CEO, and John Schoettler, VP of Real Estate, collaborated on initial ideas for an environment where employees could brainstorm and relax while working. A biospheric concept was born of the braintrust that included heavy hitting architectural firms and landscape artists. The building of such a structure employed everyone from Oregon state welders to wide load delivery drivers to bring Rubi (a 55 foot Ficus) from her home in California.
The efforts and substantial cost are more than an investment in company branding: research has shown that offices with plants can increase employee productivity by 15%.
Amazonian’s can find their inspiration, shots of espresso and productivity by tucking into comfy and unique sitting areas alongside thousands of plants and trees. Take a seat by the waterfalls or the babbling creek. Innovate under a canopy of fronds from cloud forest regions. Host a meeting on the circular suspended conference platform for a dozen members of the team. Bounce along the catwalk and settle in The Nest for a few minutes. (BTW Tip: a great place for a marriage proposal like the day we visited.)
What about the Sphere Plants?
With over 40,000 plants from 400 species, even the Ambassadors get a little tongue tied pronouncing their scientific names. One of our Ambassadors apologized, even though we assured her there were no plans to repeat the name, nor order the obscure plant. Even on Amazon.
The plants range from the common to the rarest and the most exotic. The Fernery puts Northwesterners right at home with a vast collection of prolific ferns. By contrast, there is a lone Rhododendron that is only native to a mountain in the Philippines and nearly (if not) extinct as a wild species. For the rare, the Corpse flower will have you waiting seven years to experience its first bloom (the Sphere’s first, named Morticia, happened October 2018). But it was easy to miss, since it’s bloom and odor (similar to decaying meat) lasts for just 48 hours. In June of 2019, an even taller Corpse flower, named Bellatrix, bloomed on another plant. Since the Corpse flowers don’t typically align their blooming schedules for the 1st or 3rd visiting Saturdays of the month, the Spheres opens up public viewings.
The plants thrive and grow on a multitude of surfaces. They sway from the bottoms of aquariums and ponds. They grow sideways, their tendrils hanging multiple stories down the living wall. Even though plants seem to beckon for a touch, the rules and best practices are to keep your hands to yourself so they’re not damaged. Plus, the carnivorous plants prefer bugs over fingers.
In a city that is famously known for its many shades of gray, The Spheres interior provides an overwhelming spectrum of greens. Great swaths of leaves in variegated tones of emerald, olive, peridot and citron sway under the misters. The clouds of mist provide a blur filter to the vision. The flora dots the sea of green with bright reds, pinks and oranges.
Details about Visiting The Spheres
- Reservations for the Spheres are required and accepted online for two Saturdays per month. An online calendar shows which time slots are available.
- Tickets are free. Emailed confirmation includes a QR code that must be presented upon arrival.
- Reservations can only be made 30 days in advance.
- Each time slot is limited to 100 visitors.
- Time slots are 15 minute increments (to stagger visitors).
- All ages are welcome but 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
- Visitors must present government issued IDs.
- Prohibited items are: large bags, pets, weapons, alcohol.
- Each visitor can stay as long as they would like (until closing).
- Be aware that the climate is somewhat humid and 72 degrees. Dress in layers, no coat check is available.
- An open air coffee shop, called the General Porpoise, provides donuts, gelato and a variety of espresso drinks, teas and small batch sodas. Free glasses of water are also available.
- There are four stories to see with access by elevators or wide open air staircases.
- Personal photography is allowed but flash and photography equipment (like tripods) are discouraged.
- Ambassadors are on site to answer questions about the plants and the building.
- The Understory is separate. It is an exhibit to provide history and information about the Spheres. It should not be confused with the actual Spheres. The Understory is open Monday – Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 11am – 7pm. Tickets are free.
Interested in touring Amazon Headquarters?
Yes, you can. Most Tuesdays and Thursdays there are two availabilities: 10am and 2pm. The tour is 90 minutes. Wear good walking shoes to tour the buildings where 45,000 people work in every job imaginable.
Most Interesting Jobs At Amazon
Along with the expected Amazon positions like software programmers and data scientists, there are unexpected careers. Horticulturists are top of mind after a tour of the Spheres. Tending to 40,000 plants and their ultra unique environment may be the dream job for many.
And, what’s a Woof Pack Manager? Just like what it sounds. Management of the pooches-at-work perk. Animal lovers will appreciate that over 7,000 dogs are registered to “work” with their owners. The perks for pooches include treat bowls at reception desks, their own play spaces and, uh, restrooms. The biggest perk, of course, would be overseeing their owner all day to make sure productivity stays high.
What about launching a new option for global broadband internet? Reach for the stars and join the Project Kuiper team as they implement their plan to put 3,000 plus satellites into orbit.
Stylists make sure people look good as the videos roll for thousands of hours of video content in the form of corporate videos and commercials.
