Inside Amazon's Spheres: After five years, the plants and employees are living well together

by Kurt Schlosser on June 7, 2023 at 8:01 amJune 7, 2023 at 1:33 pm

In-depth Amazon coverage from the tech giant's hometown, including e-commerce, AWS, Amazon Prime, Alexa, logistics, devices, and more.

When the Spheres first opened on Amazon's headquarters campus in Seattle, Jeff Bezos said the 40,000 plants inside the glass domes looked "happy." Five years later, the employees using the unique office space look equally pleased.

As the more than 1,000 species of plants on display have grown and adjusted to life inside the man-made tropical setting, the experience and the ability to work in such an environment has grown on employees.

The Spheres have been averaging 1,000 Amazon visitors per day since opening in 2018 and 1.25 million employees and their guests have stepped foot in the space. Another 100,000 people have gotten up close to nature in the city on select Saturdays when the building is open to the public.

From the four-story Living Wall to Rubi, the 55-foot-tall Ficus rubiginosa that was lowered through an opening in the roof, everything looks a bit more robust and at home than when Bezos first asked Alexa to open the Spheres. And as the plants have gotten taller, so has Amazon, with new office towers on its campus that impact the light and shadows in the Spheres below.

"Things have done really, really well — almost surprisingly," said facility manager Justin Schroeder. "It was an idea that had never been done before — how do we incorporate plants and people into this building where the people can work comfortably, but the plants have an environment where they can grow healthy? We got a lot right."

Amazon is regularly innovating and experimenting with new plants, displays, educational opportunities, and technical tweaks to keep the space inviting.

Keep reading for highlights from GeekWire's visit:

Keep scrolling for more photos:

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