Contract Magazine - January/February 2019 - 96

Fifty-one years after architect Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome-covered in
a thin acrylic membrane-at Expo 67 in Montreal gained worldwide attention, and three
years after construction crews first broke ground in Seattle, The Spheres, a trio of glass
domes that are part of Amazon's new three-block, six-building downtown headquarters,
has become an instant icon.
"As soon as The Spheres started to be built, you'd see people out there with
their cameras taking photos," recalls Tara Schneider, an interior designer for Seattle
architecture firm NBBJ, which designed the project. "You still see that buzz."
Yet the purpose was not to give the city another work of postcard-worthy
architecture like the Space Needle. Rather, Schneider explains, the idea was "to give
people a workplace where they can think and work differently."
The domes are comprised of pentagonal hexecontahedron-shaped glass
panels, inside of which the design team created four floors of space (while also retaining
some multi-story volumes). The first two levels include a cafeteria and coffee bar,
while the upper two floors are flexible lounge and work spaces, all connected by a
series of meandering paths and walkways. While there are no closed-door conference
rooms, a particularly popular spot is what's known as The Birdcage, a circular,
wood lattice-enclosed enclave cantilevered off an upper-floor walkway, offering
nearly 360-degree views to the outside and room for three to four employees.
"There's places for more focused head-down work, to dine, to walk, or to simply
sit contemplatively and be inspired," Schneider says.
Interspersed throughout The Spheres are more than 40,000 plants. Many
are clustered in two main garden spaces housed by the Sixth and Seventh Avenuefacing Spheres, but plants are also dotted throughout the spaces, fed by flowing water
features including a creek and a small waterfall. Grown at a site in nearby Redmond
over a three-year period, the plants come from the forest regions of more than 30
countries and were chosen for conduciveness to interior temperatures in the low 70s.
Among nearly 50 trees in The Spheres, the largest is a mature Ficus rubiginosa tree
(native to Australia and also known as the Port Jackson fig) some 55 feet tall.
Nicknamed "Rubi," it had to be lifted into The Spheres by crane.
The greenery is far more than novelty. A 2015 joint study by Harvard University
and Stanford University found that nationally, work-related stress costs employers
up to $190 billion annually. But numerous studies have also documented how access
to nature can reduce stress. The Spheres are a machine for enhancing the productivity
and well-being of employees. "You feel like you're really in an amazing outdoor space:
it smells different, it feels different, and you can hear the waterfall," Schneider says.
Because this is a high-humidity interior environment, the designers selected
only outdoor furniture. And though it feels almost like being outside, ultimately these
spaces are alternatives to the outdoors that can help employees and visitors (when
The Spheres are open to public tours) thrive during winter. "In Seattle we have some
long, rainy, cold times," Schneider says. "It's kind of a refuge. It rekindles your spirit."
Indeed, attests Amazon spokesperson Ana Rigby, "The Spheres offers a unique
environment to work, eat, relax, and be creative in. The response from employees
has been outstanding." c
96

PHOTOGRAPHY: SEAN AIRHART/NBBJ (TOP LEFT); BRUCE DAMONTE (BELOW UPPER); STUART ISETT (BELOW BOTTOM)

INTERIORS AWARDS

The Spheres are made up of
three domes comprised of
pentagonal hexecontahedronshaped glass panels, inside of
which the design team created
four floors of space, while also
retaining some multi-story
volumes (this page). The first
two levels include a cafeteria
and coffee bar (opposite page),
while the upper two floors
are flexible lounge and work
spaces, all connected by paths
and walkways.

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