Does Amazon’s ‘Helix’ Reflect the Shape of the Post-Pandemic Office?
The e-commerce company’s HQ2 campus in Virginia is both a statement about the future of cities and a throwback to pre-Covid techno-optimism.
The Helix, the architectural centerpiece of Amazon’s HQ2 campus in Northern Virginia.
Rendering: NBBJ
On the same day that Amazon founder and erstwhile wealthiest human on earth Jeff Bezos gave notice that he is stepping down as chief executive, the company revealed another big twist: plans for a 350-foot-tall tower shaped like a conch shell that will serve as the spiraling centerpiece of its HQ2 office complex.
Dubbed the Helix and designed by architecture firm NBBJ, the gleaming glass structure will anchor the e-commerce giant’s second headquarters in the suburbs outside Washington, D.C. The Helix stands on an 11-acre development within the broader campus in Arlington, Virginia, that Amazon is rebranding as National Landing.