The dramatic “Spheres” at the new Amazon headquarters in downtown Seattle have joined the Space Needle, downtown Seattle Library, Smith Tower, and Pacific Science Center as architectural icons of the city. The project includes meeting spaces for Amazon employees and a botanical garden with over 40,000 plants. Information about the building and its contents can be obtained at the “SeattleSpheres” website.
A partial list of firms involved in creating the Spheres follows: NBBJ (architectural design); Magnusson Klemencic Associates (structural design); Sellen Construction (general contractor); Front, Inc. (structural details and analysis); Canron Western Constructors/Supreme Steel (steel fabricator and erector); Mohawk Metal (steel fabricator); Albina Co. (steel bending and rolling); Enclos (glazing contractor); Northwestern Industries, Inc. (glass fabricator); and Vitro Architectural Glass (glass supplier). Further information about the design and construction challenges overcome on the project can be found on these firms’ websites.
The Spheres are open to the public two Saturdays a month by reservation only. A display area on the ground floor, called Spheres Discovery at Understory, is open to the public daily.
