ARLINGTON, Va. — Amazon's second headquarters in Arlington, called HQ2, is nearing completion. As Amazon begins welcoming employees to the offices in Northern Virginia, officials are giving the first look at Metropolitan Park.
Met Park offers 2.1 million square feet of office space to benefit the entire Arlington community with a goal of creating an open and thriving 18-hour district that enhances the National Landing area. The work on HQ2 and surrounding areas is expected to result in 25,000 new Amazon jobs by 2030.
"This project is extraordinary in many respects," said Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey. "It will bring us significantly closer to fulfilling the community's vision of Arlington and National Landing as an urban neighborhood with a better balance of office, residential and retail development, more and better public spaces, and more and better access for pedestrians and cyclists."
Met Park construction began in 2020 and is the largest corporate office expected to be complete in the United States this year. In addition to the office space, the ground floor has 50,000 square feet of retail space that will be home to 14 local, minority or women-owned small businesses.
Photos: First look at Amazon's HQ2 in Arlington
The two main buildings on the Met Park campus are 22 stories tall with four entrances and 62 elevators for 12,500 employees. The towers include 937 door frames that, if stacked, would equal the height of 12 Washington Monuments.
The two towers have been named Merlin and Jasper, after the code names for some of their products.
Employees must use a badge to get through the reception area on the second floor. Among the many rooms inside are a bike room that fits more than 600 bikes, quiet and interfaith rooms and 27 mother rooms that offers pumping supplies and privacy. The company created three floors of gathering areas and cafes known as the Center of Energy.
There are also 18 art installations influenced by the region.
"It's really important to also absorb and really be a part of the fabric of the community and the culture we're moving into," said Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty.
Throughout the construction of HQ2, Amazon says sustainability has been at its core.
Amazon says the campus was built using new, climate-friendly solutions at scale — including low-carbon concrete, mass timber, electrified energy-efficient operations, advanced ways to reuse water, and two acres of landscaped roofs with native plants.
"Not only did we develop this space ahead of schedule but we did it through COVID," Vice President of Worldwide Economic Development Holly Sullivan told WUSA9. "The amount of detail and study that went in even prior to that first shovel going into the ground about the sustainability things, that was a true pillar for us to focus on."
Energy-efficient “Eco-Lobbies” at Metropolitan Park are said to blur the transition from indoor to outdoor. Large operable walls open into the park on nice days, and lush landscaping and natural materials throughout to help bring the outside in. Passive design strategies, such as overhead high-volume, low-speed fans and hydronic radiant floor heating, create a thermally comfortable environment for occupants.
The buildings will run with zero operational carbon emissions, meaning that it will not rely on any fossil fuels for the building’s daily operation. Here are some highlights about the campus:
- 100% powered by renewable energy.
- 24% overall energy savings relative to a comparable new office building—enough electricity to power 572 homes in the U.S. every year.
- 20% reduction in the carbon footprint of Met Park’s concrete structures compared to the industry baseline — saving over 14,700 metric tons of carbon, or the equivalent of taking more than 3,200 cars off the road in the U.S. for an entire year.
- Certified as Targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum—the highest level of LEED certification. Met Park is on track to be the largest LEED v4 Platinum building in the U.S.
“Constructing buildings that can house thousands of employees on a daily basis, while operating more efficiently—and not disrupting, but rather enhancing the natural environment—is no small feat. I’m proud of the work our teams have done with HQ2 to make that a reality,” said Kara Hurst, vice president for Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon in a press statement.
Outside of Met Park, the new and restored public open space will house a dog park, recreation areas, a farmers market and more. The 2.5-acre public park has been thoughtfully designed with a central green, more than 160 different types of native plantings and trees, public art installations, walking paths, and places to rest.