Apple 'Spaceship' Campus 2 Bigger than the Pentagon - Renderings Released to the Public

An analysis of the renderings showing Apple’s new Cupertino campus has revealed that the ring-shaped building set to be finished in 2015 is larger than the Pentagon, as well as other iconic large / tall structures.

This year, Apple submitted a development proposal for their new campus on a 175 acre area bounded by I-280 to the south, Wolfe Road to the west, Homestead Road to the north and North Tantau Avenue to the east.

The proposed facility was put in balance by the Mac Observer, with the site revealing that not even the Pentagon will be a match for the diameter of Apple's 2.8 million square-foot circular building.

(The official renderings are available in PDF format here)

Spanning at 1,615 feet, Apple’s ‘mothership’ will also dwarf the height of the Empire State Building, at just 1,250 feet, and the length of other objects laid over the plans for Apple's campus for perspective - such as a cruise ship, a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier, a World War II battleship, a supertanker, and even a blimp.


Apple’s proposal includes an Office, Research and Development Building comprising approximately 2.8 million square feet; a 1,000 seat Corporate Auditorium; a Corporate Fitness Center; Research Facilities comprising approximately 300,000 square feet; a Central Plant; and Associated Parking.

According to Cupertino.org, the city’s review process will consist of Environmental Impact Assessment (including traffic, noise, air quality, etc.) - during which there will be opportunity for public comment - ; Development review; and public hearings at the Planning Commission and the City Council.


Plans for the forthcoming Apple campus were announced on June 7 by CEO Steve Jobs who appeared before the city’s council with a presentation to show his company’s intention to erect a new campus in Cupertino where between 12,000 and 13,000 employees would be housed.

At the time, Jobs told Cupertino suits that his halo-shaped building would be mostly self sustained.

Apple plans to have a campus that uses mostly clean energy. In order to preserve the vegetation at the surface, all of the parking will be subterranean.

Mayor Gilbert Wong greeted Jobs’ proposal on June 7 with the following statement:

“A hallmark of Apple's technology has been innovation and the high value that the company places on design. We have learned to expect that Apple will bring this same high standard to all of its projects.”

Apple’s continuing efforts to stay green are also evidenced in the company’s most recent initiative to equip commuters with iBikes.