The Silicon Valley city of Cupertino has finally given the green light for Apple’s plan to build a space ship-shaped headquarters, media reports said.
The approval came with a 15 percent reduction on the tax break awarded to Apple in 1997, during which time the company’s future was uncertain.
Described as a 21st century creation designed for collaboration, research and innovation, Apple Campus 2 “will provide a serene environment reflecting Apple’s brand values of innovation, ease of use and beauty”, the company said in documents filed for approval by the city.
Renowned architect Norman Foster has been tapped to transform a 176-acre site into a sustainable office and R&D complex.
“The entire campus, indoors and out, is intended to promote shared creativity and collaboration, and spur invention of the next several generations of Apple products,” the company noted.
Campus plans featured “landscape design of meadows and woodlands (that) will create an ecologically rich oak savannah reminiscent of the early Santa Clara Valley”, while the list of amenities include a striking restaurant as well as a separate fitness centre with approximately 100,000 sq ft of space.
Meanwhile, the four-storey main building will offer around 2.8 million sq ft of space and can house 12,000 employees based on design specifications.
Apple also revealed that it will continue to use its current headquarters – the One Infinite Loop campus.
“The main objective of the project is to redevelop the site with a new, unified, secure and private Apple campus,” it said.
Image: Artist’s impression of Apple Campus 2.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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