Apple pursuing 630,000 square feet in Seattle's South Lake Union

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in General Discussion
Apple is reportedly seeking to lease two towers at 333 Dexter Avenue in Seattle, which would give the company about 630,000 square feet of added office space.

A concept render of 333 Dexter Avenue, still under construction. The towers are within walking distance of the Space Needle.
A concept render of 333 Dexter Avenue, still under construction. The towers are within walking distance of the Space Needle.


That's enough for 4,200 workers, said the Puget Sound Business Journal. It's uncertain how far Apple might be into negotiations. The buildings began construction in June 2017.

Seattle has become an increasingly important place for Apple corporate. The company has previously teased plans for new office space there, and said it expects to have over 1,000 workers in the city by 2021.

Local development is concentrated mostly on AI and machine learning, including Siri. Those technologies have spread through Apple's software and services, particularly as it tries to compete with Amazon and Google, the de facto leaders in commercial AI.

In 2018 Apple took over more of Two Union Square, a tower in the heart of the city. The company is now believed to have over 70,000 square feet supporting as many as 475 people.

AI and machine learning are bound to become even more critical as Apple progresses towards an AR headset and a self-driving car. AR systems must be adept at merging data with real-world imagery, while cars must not only handle that but react to complex and unpredictable road conditions.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    coffeetime69coffeetime69 Posts: 29member
    We routinely travel to the South Lake Union area for my cancer treatments (home of SCCA Clinic and SCCA House - Seattle Cancer Care Alliance).  The number of buildings recently opened, still being built and being planned to build is simply staggering.  My wife and I used to work in Downtown Seattle for many years, and we barely recognize the area today.  Here's a website to track it: https://www.seattleinprogress.com
  • Reply 2 of 8
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    Maybe they can put an Apple Store in the ground floor. The closest three stores to downtown Seattle are 20+ minutes away. 
  • Reply 3 of 8
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,063member
    Maybe they can put an Apple Store in the ground floor. The closest three stores to downtown Seattle are 20+ minutes away. 
    Funny. The U Village Apple Store is gorgeous, and right across the parking lot from an always empty Microsoft Store. Interestingly, 333 Dexter is right across the street from the palatial Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Building. 
    edited June 2019 davgreg
  • Reply 4 of 8
    FolioFolio Posts: 698member
    Why not build instead a Homepod Colossus on this site?
  • Reply 5 of 8
    djames4242djames4242 Posts: 651member
    eightzero said:
    Maybe they can put an Apple Store in the ground floor. The closest three stores to downtown Seattle are 20+ minutes away. 
    Funny. The U Village Apple Store is gorgeous, and right across the parking lot from an always empty Microsoft Store. Interestingly, 333 Dexter is right across the street from the palatial Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Building. 
    I agree that it's gorgeous, but it's also stupid. I went in twice trying to get my hands on new devices and wasn't able to try them out because, despite the ridiculous size of the store, they have exactly one of each Mac on-hand. If course if you want to try out an iPhone or Watch you're covered, because there's a gazillion of each color and size. Each time I was trying to see the new iteration of the 15" MBP and they literally had one (which was already being fondled by another).

    You're definitely spot-on about the Microsoft store. There are usually about nine-hundred people in the Apple store, and about 15 in the Microsoft store (14 of which are employees).
    jbdragon
  • Reply 6 of 8
    anonconformistanonconformist Posts: 199member
    I’ve worked a couple Amazon contracts in South Lake Union, and I know the driving/parking/transit options: there’s more than one reason Amazon wanted to diversify from the area, and part of it is transit and traffic issues are problematic, to put it nicely.

    I wonder how many Amazonians Apple will poach ;)  Amazonians will be able to walk on foot within about 5 minutes, depending on how many dogs and their owners get in the way.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    Seattle has come a long way from the days when there was a billboard saying will the last person leaving Seattle please turn out the lights? https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/iconic-will-the-last-person-seattle-billboard-bubbles-up-again/
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 8 of 8
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    eightzero said:
    Maybe they can put an Apple Store in the ground floor. The closest three stores to downtown Seattle are 20+ minutes away. 
    Funny. The U Village Apple Store is gorgeous, and right across the parking lot from an always empty Microsoft Store. Interestingly, 333 Dexter is right across the street from the palatial Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Building. 
    Yes, I know — that's the one I go to, and the new store design is incredible. They even showed us the conference room which was super nice. However, I can walk downtown a helluva lot faster than going out to U Village, which was the point. :)
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