Tech giant Amazon released the first renderings of the initial phase of its ground-up construction for its Northern Virginia HQ2, which is slated to house 25,000 employees. Amazon plans to build two 22-story, LEED Gold-certified towers where vacant warehouses currently stand. The campus will also include 50,000 square feet of new retail space, 1.1 acres of public open space, and parking for 600 bikes. The company will invest $2.5 billion over the next decade to complete the project. [Amazon]
Sheila Kennedy, FAIA, of Boston-based Kennedy & Violich Architecture, and Michael Strano, MIT chemical engineering professor, want to introduce bioluminescent plants into architecture. Currently on display at the Cooper Hewitt 2019 Design Triennial, their Plant Properties project utilizes biocompatible, GMO-free techniques to generate ambient lighting with live plants, transforming living foliage into a zero-energy light source. [ARCHITECT]
WeWork parent company, the We Company, is launching a platform for real estate acquisition and management with Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Canadian real estate investment firm. Essentially, instead of leasing properties from other building owners to then renovate into co-working space, the We Co. wants to outright buy the properties it plans to convert. According to a press release, the ARK platform will initially deploy $2.9 billion in equity. "We have seen first hand the value that the WeWork ecosystem can create for landlords and real estate partners," said ARK managing partner Rich Gomel in a press release. "The launch of ARK will help drive growth by leveraging The We Company’s extensive real estate experience and network. ARK has been set up to capitalize on that opportunity and allow us to provide different partnership options for the real estate community to participate in the growth and expansion of the We Company.” [The We Company]
At the sixth International LafargeHolcim Forum for Sustainable Construction, held in Cairo this April, design leaders discussed and debated a path to balance environmental stewardship with the world's rapid pace of development. [ARCHITECT]
Professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction in Oakland, Calif., can now benefit from a co-working model designed specifically for their working needs. Big Industry Gathering (BIG) Oakland is a 3,600-square-foot space that features amenities tailored to the building profession, such as drafting stations, a model-making room, layout space, plotter service, and a design library. [BIG Oakland]
