Grand opening of Amazon Spheres Monday

Amazon will hold a grand opening ceremony Monday at its long-awaited Spheres in downtown Seattle.

We’ve watched the fascinating project grow over the last year as it took shape at Seventh Avenue and Lenora Street in Seattle.

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The three spheres won’t be open until the public until Tuesday, but the public must book their visit to what’s called the Spheres Discovery at Understory, at this link.  It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 am. to  7 p.m. It’s free, and visitors browse on their own.

The eye-catching domes, designed by NBBJ, are between 80 and 95 feet high and feature five floors of office space.  There are no enclosed offices, conference spaces, or desks.

The idea is to create a place for employees to work and socialize in an urban oasis.

There’s been a lot of interest since the project started, not just because of how the structures look, but because of the jungle that is housed inside.

More than 40,000 plants from more than 30 countries were brought in to fill up the domes, the newest addition to Amazon’s downtown campus. Amazon is paying a full-time horticulturalist to tend to exotic plants and trees and be a resource to the public as well.

According to the architectural firm who built the spheres, for 12 hours a day, the temperature inside will be 68 to 72 degrees with the average humidity seen in Seattle.

At night, the temperature will go down to 55 degrees and the humidity will pushed to 85 to 90 percent, to help the plants grow.

Guided tours of the Amazon Headquarters, which include the Spheres, are also available, but those interested will have a long wait – tours are already booked through June.  Sign up here.

To learn more about the spheres.