Amazon is moving forward with the construction of a 42-story office tower in Bellevue, Washington. The tower, named Sonic, will have a total capacity of around 4,500 employees once completed. Currently, the building is home to about 1,500 employees, and with the addition of 500,000 square feet of work space, it will make room for an additional 3,000 employees working on Amazon Web Services and Stores teams. Amazon has big growth plans in Bellevue, aiming to employ 25,000 people across various buildings in the city.
Despite a pause in construction due to Amazon’s uncertainty about the impact of hybrid work on its office space needs, work is set to resume on Sonic and other projects in Bellevue. Approximately half of Sonic’s interior has been completed up to the 19th floor, but the completion of 22 floors and additional work space is needed to accommodate Amazon’s growth plans in the city. Other Amazon buildings impacted by the construction pause include Dynamo Tower One, Bellevue 600, and The Artise.
A report by commercial real estate firm Broderick Group revealed that of the 5 million square feet of Amazon leased space in downtown Bellevue, around 1.6 million square feet is still in shell condition. Amazon has been testing various layouts at Sonic for collaborative work and communal gathering. The office tower features lounges, breakout spaces, meeting rooms, focus spaces, team suites, head-down spaces, and other areas designed to accommodate post-pandemic work styles, which the company plans to test and refine.
In a blog post, Amazon highlighted Bellevue’s appeal, citing the city as providing more space for the creation of jobs, a business-friendly community, great amenities, high quality of life, and a talented pool of potential employees. Currently, Amazon employs around 50,000 people in Seattle, a decrease from a peak of about 60,000. The company has faced layoffs in recent years, cutting 27,000 jobs last year alone. This week, there were announcements of further job cuts across AWS’ Sales, Marketing, and Global Services organization, as well as on the Physical Stores Technology team.
In an effort to expand its presence in the technology industry, Google had plans to construct four buildings totaling 760,000 square feet of space at its Kirkland Urban campus in Kirkland, Washington. However, the company is reportedly pausing construction on the project. Amazon’s decision to move forward with the construction of the 42-story Sonic office tower in Bellevue reflects the company’s commitment to growth and expansion in the region, as it aims to accommodate more employees and continue to innovate in the technology sector. With the completion of the additional floors and work space, Amazon will be able to house a larger workforce and further solidify its presence in Bellevue.
