 |
New Apple Headquarters
(Image Credit: http://www.bloomberg.com)
|
It appears
that the construction of the new Apple headquarters is facing some budget
issues. Reports have indicated that the 176-acre “spaceship” campus that is
scheduled to be opened in 2015 has gone over its budget, by around $2 billion.
The late CEO
of Apple, Steve Jobs made an appeal to the city council of Cupertino City in
June 2011 as he showed the plan of the company in building a circular structure
that encompasses 3.1 million square feet and will serve as the workplace of the
12,000 employees of the company. The employees are currently working in a
number of buildings that the company rents all around the city.
The budget
that Jobs set aside for the new Apple headquarters was just under $3 billion.
However, it appears that the cost of building the Apple Campus has gone up to
nearly $5 million. The current budget for the top secret edifice is higher than
the cost of building the new World Trade Center complex in New York, which was
at around $3.9 billion.
Prior to the
death of Jobs, the late Apple CEO intended to lay the foundations in 2012 with
the plan of moving in by 2015. However, the delay in the environmental impact
report of the company pushed back the start of construction to 2014. This means
the employees will start working in the new Apple headquarters no earlier than
2016.
The company has
been trying to reduce the budget for the new Apple headquarters. It is working with
Foster+ Partners to reduce the budget by $1 billion before they continued with
the work. Sources have also indicated that a number of buildings will be torn
down at the site by summer while excavation works will take around six months. Bids
for the jobs will be submitted by subcontractors in the coming month.
Although the
price tag appears huge for many people, $1 billion is nothing compared to the cash
reserves of the company, which reaches around $137 billion. The company has
also informed its neighbors about what to expect in the future. The company
released a brochure indicating the transportation options that employees can
use in order to reduce traffic.
The new
Apple headquarters will also have its own fitness center, restaurant and other
amenities that will encourage employees to stay inside until the end of their
shift.
