Amazon unveils plans for ‘Helix’ tower at new HQ

San Francisco: Amazon has unveiled the design of its planned second headquarters in northern Virginia, with a swirling glass tower covered in trees that rises to a point above the rest of the city’s skyline.

The company calls the building “the Helix” because its corkscrew shape is supposed to take inspiration from “the natural beauty of a double helix”.

It also — it must be said — bears a distinct resemblance to the swirling poop emoji, though with some healthier colours mixed in, The Verge reported on Tuesday.

On the inside, the Helix will be filled with a “variety of alternative work environments” that Amazon employees can use. On the outside, there will be two sets of spiralling paths dotted with local plants.

The building will be 350 feet tall, according to The Wall Street Journal. Amazon says that it plans to offer public tours on weekends.

Amazon has a similar standout structure at its Seattle headquarters. There, it has the Spheres, three connected glass globes filled with greenery. Its design is echoed in the similarly glass-and-green Helix, albeit at a much larger scale.

The Helix is still just a proposal, so Amazon will need to get local approval before construction on the building can start. The building and surrounding campus were designed by the architecture firm NBBJ.

Along with the Helix, Amazon also unveiled plans for the campus around it. It’s planning to construct three 22-story buildings around the Helix.