Amazon pauses construction on HQ2 office campus in Virginia

Amazon.com Inc. is pausing development on the second part of its HQ2 company campus in Arlington, Virginia.

The information was first reported by Bloomberg right now and later confirmed by Amazon.

The primary part of HQ2, which is called Met Park and contains two workplace towers, is on monitor to finish in the summertime. The second part contains three officer towers and a skyscraper formed like a double helix. Amazon initially deliberate to interrupt floor on the latter buildings within the first quarter, however has determined to push again the date.

“We’re at all times evaluating house plans to verify they match our enterprise wants and to create a terrific expertise for workers, and since Met Park can have house to accommodate greater than 14,000 staff, we’ve determined to shift the groundbreaking of PenPlace (the second part of HQ2) out a bit,” mentioned John Schoettler, the vp of Amazon’s world actual property and amenities staff.

Amazon’s HQ2 campus in Arlington is the fruit of an workplace enlargement initiative that started greater than six years in the past. In 2017, the corporate announced plans to construct a second company headquarters at a price of greater than $5 billion. The second headquarters, which gave the HQ2 initiative its title, would have had capability for 50,000 Amazon staff.

A yr after unveiling the initiative, Amazon announced plans to separate the unique HQ2 into two smaller campuses with capability for 25,000 staff every. The corporate deliberate to construct the campuses in Arlington and New York Metropolis. Amazon later scrapped the deliberate New York Metropolis hub, leaving the Arlington web site as the only real campus being constructed as a part of the HQ2 initiative.

The primary part of the Arlington campus known as Met Park. It contains two 22-story workplace towers with 2.1 million sq. toes of workplace house between them. Amazon expects to finish development of the buildings this summer time and can make them accessible to staff in June.

The second part of the undertaking is called PenPlace. It contains three 22-story workplace towers and a good taller, spiral-shaped constructing dubbed The Helix. The constructing’s hallmark characteristic is a pair of twisting outside strolling paths designed to resemble the form of a double helix.

Final month, Amazon announced a brand new distant work coverage that may require staff to spend a minimum of three days per week within the workplace. At the moment, particular person groups can decide their distant work preparations as an alternative of following a company-wide coverage. Amazon will implement the change at the beginning of Could, or about two months earlier than the 2 buildings that comprise the primary part of HQ2 are set to open. 

Amazon hasn’t but determined when it plans to interrupt floor on the second part of HQ2. Nevertheless, the corporate informed CNBC that its unique plans to create about 25,000 jobs on the campus and within the surrounding space over the subsequent decade stay unchanged. 

“Our second headquarters has at all times been a multi-year undertaking, and we stay dedicated to Arlington, Virginia, and the better Capital Area,” Schoettler mentioned.

Picture: Amazon