Amazon Seeks Community Connection With Its Real Estate
Amazon's head of real estate has a message about what type of real estate it wants in a headquarters.
It is all about community.
While Amazon is not about leasing space in trophy towers, Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities John Schoettler said the building need connections to the surrounding community, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports.
"I get a lot of proposals for new space and a lot of these trophy, very shiny new high-rise structures that, from an architectural perspective, they're beautiful," Schoettler told the PSBJ. "But that’s not who we are."
What Amazon does is outfit its real estate with features that engage the community, such as the architectural design at the Spheres outside its Day 1 office tower in Seattle, a terrarium-like building that has water features. It also has a community “living room” with retailers and restaurants open until 2 a.m. at a project called 9th & Thomas in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood.
