With six months remaining until its expected completion, Apples multibillion-dollar mega-HQ – the Apple Campus 2 – is taking shape in impressive fashion. Progress on the spherical construction, nicknamed The Spaceship, has been detailed in a new flyover video captured via a DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter.
The 175-acre colossus, designed by architect Norman Foster, appears to be ticking along nicely, with the main construction cranes shifting positions to focus on new areas of the Cupertino-based facility that is expected to cost the iPhone manufacturer more than $5bn (£3.2bn).
In the flyover video we get a good look at continued installation of the 3,000 glass panels, which are expected to total up to a whopping 1.23m sq ft of glass upon the projects anticipated completion in 2017.
Solar panel installation atop the 11,000 vehicle-capacity parking areas is also shown, while solar panels on the roof of the Spaceship itself – totalling 70,000 sq ft – can also be seen, with the circular array of panels expected to be capable of producing an immense 16 megawatts of power.
We also get a glimpse of Campus 2s stunning auditorium which is currently covered in construction foam. The separate 120,000 sq ft, UFO-like building is reportedly capable of welcoming around 1,000 people, with Apple intending to showcase future products and developments in its underground hub.
Elsewhere, the exterior of the research and development building is shown nearing completion, while work on the foundations of the Tantau Avenue facility is also under way, with neighbouring units also developing at a rapid pace.
While there is currently a gigantic mountain of dirt that Apple intends to reuse while landscaping around the facility – all in an effort to camouflage the glass giant among the surrounding parkland – future staff members will likely have their attention swayed by the almost-finished, exclusive 100,000 sq ft fitness centre.
With more than 10,000 employees expected to accommodate the 2.8m sq ft futuristic base, the Campus 2 is quickly resembling the stunning, self-sufficient net-zero energy landmark that Apples former CEO, the late Steve Jobs, envisioned and worked on until his death in 2011.
