As the Cupertino City Council gets ready to cast their final votes for letting Apple build their ‘Spaceship’ headquarters that was the subject of Steve Jobs’ final public speaking appearance shortly before his death, the rest of us get to see a glimpse at what the initial rendered images couldn’t completely convey: the sheer massiveness and complexity of this insane structure.
Apple’s HQ Proposal Scale Model
According to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, there is a logistical reasoning behind the circular shape of the building other than just ‘thinking differently’. “We found that rectangles or squares or long buildings or buildings with more than four stories would inhibit collaboration. We wanted this to be a walkable building, and that’s why we eventually settled on a circle…It’ll provide a very open-spaced system, so that at one point in the day you may be in offices on one side of the circle and yourself on the other side later that day.” In an age where we don’t need any more proof that multi-discipline collaboration and getting up and moving your legs can increase productivity and quality of work, this is refreshing news that will hopefully have a domino effect for other workspaces in the near future.
As anybody who has worked on a corporate campus with multiple buildings can tell you, walking a half mile or more in a sudden rain storm with an armful of papers, a coffee, and a freshly-inked sketchbook is far from desirable—with or without an umbrella. Additionally, the new Apple Headquarters concept will allow for the company to hold on-site events in their own controlled environment. No WiFi for an iPhone 9 presentation? No problem–we got backup!
There are few reasons why Cupertino wouldn’t want the structure built—Apple has literally put the community on the map internationally. If given approval, the project will take an estimated three years to complete. In the meantime, feast your eyes on what Cupertino’s City Council will be closely looking at Tuesday morning:
…And for those who might have missed Steve’s presentation:

(Images via the San Jose Mercury News)