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
Green | Apr 7, 2015
USGBC survey shows Fortune 200 companies prioritize green building
The world’s top-performing companies are prioritizing sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, and a majority of them are using LEED to achieve their goals, according to the new survey.
Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015
Facebook opens Gehry-designed headquarters: ‘The largest open floor plan in the world,’ says Zuckerberg
Employees have started moving into Facebook’s new headquarters, a 435,555-sf building in Menlo Park, Calif., whose famed architect Frank Gehry describes as “unassuming, matter-of-fact, and cost effective.”
Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015
IBM's supercomputer Watson finds new home in Manhattan's Silicon Alley
The new headquarters for the former Jeopardy champ was conceived as a showcase for Watson’s capabilities, and as an inspirational workspace for Millennials and idea generators of all ages.
Office Buildings | Mar 29, 2015
Chance encounters and the ‘action’ office: Do collisions spark innovation?
Google, Facebook, Samsung, and Tencent have all unveiled plans for “action” offices designed to get their people moving, interacting, huddling, collaborating—all in the name of innovation.
Codes and Standards | Mar 12, 2015
Energy Trust of Oregon offers financial incentives for net-zero buildings
The organization is offering technical assistance along with financial benefits.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 11, 2015
Google plans to use robots, cranes to manipulate modular offices at its new HQ
Its visions of “crabots” accentuate the search-engine giant’s recent fascination with robotics and automation.
Modular Building | Mar 10, 2015
Must see: 57-story modular skyscraper was completed in 19 days
After erecting the mega prefab tower in Changsha, China, modular builder BSB stated, “three floors in a day is China’s new normal.”
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
Office Buildings | Mar 7, 2015
Chance encounters in workplace design: The winning ticket to the innovation lottery?
The logic behind the push to cultivate chance encounters supposes that innovation is akin to a lottery. But do chance encounters reliably and consistently yield anything of substance?
Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2015
Charlotte, N.C., considers rule for gender-neutral public bathrooms
A few other cities, including Philadelphia, Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C., already have gender-neutral bathroom regulations.
