The Amazon Spheres opened to the public in 2017 after six years of planning. Located in the downtown South Lake Union Seattle neighborhood, the lush, verdant, multi-leveled workspace was created primarily for Amazon employees to help spark creativity for the often overworked and desk-bound staff.
Comprised of three giant three-story glass orbs, the structure looks futuristic from the outside. But on the inside, it looks like an office park overtaken by some 40,000 plants from more than 400 species of plants, many of them tropical. On the top floor is a brainstorming area known as the “bird’s nest.” In total, the structure amasses 620 tons of steel and 2,643 panes of glass—though it includes no formal offices.