Cupertino council gives go-ahead to Apple’s headquarters in US

Apple has secured an approval from Cupertino City council for its new hoop-shaped headquarters in the US, designed by the UK-based architectural firm Foster + Partners.

The new headquarters will be built on a 175-acre site located on the former HP campus and will be surrounded by I-280 to the south, Wolfe Road to the west, Homestead Road to the north and North Tantau Avenue to the east.

The 2.8 million ft² building, dubbed Apple Campus 2, will be situated near the company’s existing headquarters and is expected to be completed by 2016.

Earlier in 2013, Apple submitted a replacement and rebuild proposal, which includes the demolition of 2.65 million ft² of existing office, research and development buildings.

Plans also include construction of a four-storey research and development building, which will house 12,000 employees and minimise the visual impact on nearby residential neighborhoods.

Under the project, 300,000ft² of research facilities will be built on the east side of Tantau Avenue and associated parking space.

Campus amenities will include a restaurant within the research building, a 100,000 ft² corporate fitness centre, a 120,000 ft² corporate auditorium featuring 1,000 seats and a central plant.

After completion, the development will feature 10,980 parking spaces, of which 9,240 spaces will serve the main site of headquarters.

The parking space will be divided between a basement below the main building and an above-grade parking structure located along I-280.

Plans also include bicycle access improvements at the campus, including buffered bike lanes, bike boxes and two-stage turn boxes.

The company had announced the proposal to build the campus in 2006 and according to media reports the cost of the project has increased from $3bn to nearly $5bn since then.

---

Image: The Apple 2 Campus is a circular building with four-stories above ground. Photo: Courtesy of Cupertino Council.