The Amazon Spheres Prepare to Open January 30th
The Amazon Spheres are set to officially open to employees on January 30th, the culmination of a project five years in the making. As GeekWire reports, "the three glass orbs and the busy work around them have proven to be an intriguing element tied to Amazon's rapid growth in the city."
In anticipation of the upcoming opening, Amazon released SeattleSpheres.com, a website sharing facts about the structures and plants, with a space for the general public to schedule a time to view the "understory" section. As the website showcases, the spheres themselves are comprised of 2,643 glass panels and 12 million pounds of concrete, and are home to over 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of 30 countries.
To celebrate the upcoming milestone, Amazon shared a video entitled 1,200 Miles with Rubi, which follows the journey of the 55-foot-tall Ficus rubiginosa ("Rubi") from Somi, California to Seattle, Washington. Plant specialist Ron Gagliardo and kinetic architect David Sadinksy provide insight on structural design, the path to finding plants, and share triumph as Rubi is placed inside the spheres.