Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) got its ‘spaceship’-like new headquarters plan approved on Wednesday night by the Cupertino, California planning commission. The iPhone maker now just needs to secure the vote of Cupertino city council on October 15 and the final vote on May 19.
Change from previous plans
This new proposed campus of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was a dream project of the late Steve Jobs, which will, rather than replacing the current headquarters, assist it. A couple of months before his death, Steve Jobs met with Cupertino city council to appeal for the ring-shaped, four-story, 2.8 million square foot, “spaceship” looking building, which is supposed to be established on land once occupied by Hewlett Packard.
Initially, the building was planned to accommodate 6000 employees, but at present it is expected to shelter some 14,000 employees. The proposed building will apparently include an auditorium for product launches, a four-story parking garage and a fitness center. The building design will be headed by world famous UK-based architecture firm Foster + Partners and will value approximately $5 billion.
Dan Whisenhunt, the company’s director of real estate and facilities, played the video in the Wednesday meeting, showing the lead architect Norman Foster and the team that will be leading the development of the building. The current plan is to give the O-shape to the building, which was not the original plan. “It really grew into that born out of an intensive process,” said Foster in the video. Apple’s new office seems to be inspired by Stanford’s campus.
Unique features
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new campus will have a high-end design, including tall panes of curved glass, ceiling of polished concrete and stone floors, which are often seen in museums and lavish residencies, but rarely in corporate offices, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
The process will be completed in two phases, with the first one taking 32 months (or around three years). Phase two will follow phase one, but there is no deadline announced over completion. Further, the building will include 600-seat restaurants with four story glass sliding doors, and fruits from the orchards onsite will be kept for dining facilities.
Apple project did face some hurdles
The project has passed through many hurdles in the past as back in June the proposed building was said to create a huge environmental impact and Apple has to respond immediately to the situation. Other issues that were said to affect were altered geology and air quality. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has taken notice of the issues and has vowed to plant 6,200 trees on the site after removing 3,620 trees to make room for construction.
