Apple Campus 2: The Compound of Corporate Compounds

            On October 16, 2013, demolition and construction of the new headquarters “Apple Campus 2” for tech giant Apple Inc. were fully approved by the Cupertino City Council. The new “campus” will be 1 mile east of the current headquarters in Cupertino and will coexist on a conglomerate of 9 separately purchased properties. Apple plans to build a unified circular office building 1 mile in circumference and 2.82 million sq ft. To put this in perspective, on the ground the building will take up more land than the Pentagon.

            To make way for the colossal structure, Apple has demolished the preexisting office buildings totaling 2.6 million sq ft that were formerly owned by HP and Summerhill Homes. Many of the demolished research and development buildings would be considered Class A office space, but within months Apple scrapped them for what will truly be a master planned headquarters built from a clean slate. The construction of the compound is estimated to take 3-4 years and cost up to $5 billion, which is almost unheard of in the construction industry for a private company.

            The massive circular headquarters will encompass the center of the property and will include offices, research and development, a 1,00 seat corporate auditorium, cafeteria, and a corporate fitness center. Parking structures and ancillary buildings including security, landscaping, and maintenance will be located on the exterior bounds of the property. The primary consideration in the layout was security, as Apple has had heightened concerns with keeping new products and software’s classified from the public and competitors until they are released.

            That being said, the Apple Campus 2 has been built and designed in the most difficult, drawn out, and expensive way possible. The central headquarters building dominating the property will need curved glass and materials which will rack up massive construction costs as well as curved and bents lines seen in very few other buildings. The size and scope of the building would also make it impossible for Apple to ever sell the property, as it is to large and undividable for smaller private firms, making this a risk endeavor. Furthermore, 6,200 trees will be planted and native grasses will be used within the courtyard and exterior grounds of the building to create dramatic views amongst the open space. All of these factors making expenses almost triple what they should be and no exit plan if Apple were to default on the project.

            However, upon its completion, the grandeur of Apple headquarters will be difficult to surpass for some time. Perhaps its greatest attribute is it’s mixing of contemporary and bold architecture amongst hundreds of acres of manufactured forestry and brush. In the end, Apple will actually be increasing the ratio of greenery, which will cover approximately 80% of the land. While the new headquarters might be seen as a symbol of Apple’s dominance, it is arguably revolutionary towards real estate development in general. Upon its completion, much of the property on the outskirts will be accessible to the public, employees will have large common areas to interact, and the architecture and layout of the compound will represent an attraction for the city. At the end of the day, Apple Campus 2 will most likely represent a development that will give more than it takes.