Amazon, today, released a list of 20 cities that will proceed to the next step in the HQ2 selection process. The finalists were selected from a pool of 238 applicants vying for the 50,000 jobs and tens of billions of dollars of additional investment in the surrounding community that Amazon's second headquarters will create.
The final list has an abundance of eastern and Midwestern cities with Austin, Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles being the only finalists west of the Mississippi. Toronto is the sole Canadian representative on the list while none of the proposals from Mexico made the cut. A full list of the 20 finalists can be seen below.
Over the next few months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to explore their proposals more deeply and request more information as necessary. Amazon says it will invest over $5 billion into the construction of HQ2 and construction and operation of the facility will create tens of thousands of jobs in addition to Amazon’s direct hiring.
Amazon expects to make its final decision at some point in 2018. The list of the 20 finalists includes:
- Boston
- New York City
- Newark
- Pittsburgh
- Philadelphia
- Montgomery County (Maryland)
- Washington, D.C.
- Raleigh
- Northern Virginia
- Atlanta
- Miami
- Toronto
- Columbus
- Indianapolis
- Chicago
- Denver
- Nashville
- Los Angeles
- Dallas
- Austin
UPDATE
Amazon's new HQ2 campus is being split across two cities, according to The Wall Street Journal. The article says Amazon has balked at the idea of finding 50,000 qualified employees (mainly top tech talent) in one city, and will isntead split HQ2 evenly into two projects in two separate cities. Finalist cities that may be awarded one of the two Amazon headquarters include Dallas, New York City, and Crystal City, Va.
As the cities have not even been announced yet, there are currently no designs for the projects, but it can be expected the e-commerce giant will follow trends of other large company headquarters recently constructed and put employee wellness and sustainability at the forefront of the design. Key features such as green space, roof gardens, and large windows with abundant natural daylight can be expected (while taking care to avoid the embarrassing problem Apple encounted in its new headquarters).
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Apr 4, 2017
Amazon’s newest office building will be an ‘urban treehouse’
The building will provide 405,000 sf of office space in downtown Seattle.
Standards | Mar 29, 2017
Wellness movement is catching on with AEC firms
Hord Caplan Macht the latest to join the club by submitting its offices for certification under Fitwel’s program.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 28, 2017
Digital tools accelerated the design and renovation of one contractor’s new office building
One shortcut: sending shop drawings created from laser scans directly to a wood panel fabricator.
Office Buildings | Mar 27, 2017
New York warehouse to become an office mixing industrial and modern aesthetics
The building is located in West Chelsea between the High Line and West Street.
Office Buildings | Mar 24, 2017
Brookfield expands its ‘office of the future’ brand to Houston
The developer engaged four design firms to come up with unique suites it will market under its DesignHive label.
Office Buildings | Mar 21, 2017
Fruit company’s HQ acts as an oasis among surrounding industrial processing yards
Graham Baba Architects designed the project around a central, landscaped courtyard.
Office Buildings | Mar 20, 2017
The new workplace: More than a generational issue
Today’s workplace requires designers and employers to look holistically at the organization’s culture, its criteria for success, and its place in the world.
Office Buildings | Mar 7, 2017
Large creative office projects generate staggering returns for property investors
A new Transwestern report examines the adaptive reuse trend across the U.S.
Office Buildings | Mar 2, 2017
White paper from Perkins Eastman and Three H examines how design can inform employee productivity and wellbeing
This paper is the first in a planned three-part series of studies on the evolution of diverse office environments and how the contemporary activity-based workplace (ABW) can be uniquely tailored to support a range of employee personalities, tasks and work modes.
Office Buildings | Mar 2, 2017
Office renovation and addition give new life to a section of Huntsville, Ala.
The newly opened Freedom Center, near Redstone Arsenal, includes a 10,000-sf conference center.
