Amazon has said it sees India as a key market and talent hub. And It’s easy to see this - and feel inspired - as you walk through Amazon’s first owned office building outside the US and the single largest building globally.
Massive steel pillars stand adjacent to tall plants. Colossal windows overlook the burgeoning Financial District skyline. There’s an unmissable buzz, yet, a sense of tranquility. As hundreds of thousands of Amazonians across the globe return to office, we thought it’d be a great idea to take you inside the famed HYD13 campus in Hyderabad.
The building contains over 2.5 times more steel than the Eiffel Tower, measured by weight. But what’s even more incredible is if the building were to be laid out flat, its size would be comparable to 65 soccer fields.
Sustainability is at the core of this building, which has over 300 trees dotting its grounds with three specimen trees aged over 200 years, and a 850,000-liter water recycling plant.
Amazon laid the foundation stone for the campus building in March 2016. An average of 2,000 workers were on site every day for 39 months to construct the building, spending 18 million man-hours to create a world-class working environment.
Ground Floor
As you enter through the gates, you’re greeted by a welcoming reception and information desk, overlooking a series of plush lounge chairs and tables.
Amazon’s Leadership Principles like ‘It’s Always Day 1’ and ‘Delivering Smiles’ are intricately embedded on larger-than-life wall installations.
In case you’re already in the mood for a cuppa, there’s a cafe right there too.
After you tap-in your ID, you get past the turnstiles and start your day at work.
First Floor
Moving on to the first floor of the building is the much-loved recreation center, which has an indoor cricket pitch, gaming consoles, table tennis, billiards, and even carrom.
For those who’re feeling extra adventurous, there’s an aerobics/zumba room that can be booked in advance too.
As you walk out of there, there’s a well-stacked library if you feel like catching up on some of the latest business management fundamentals or maybe just unwind with a romance or thriller.
Now that we’re sufficiently physically and intellectually stimulated, it’s time to grab a snack!
Second Floor
The sprawling food court on the second floor will leave you spoilt for choice. Quite literally.
Be it a healthy bowl of sprouts salad or some Hyderabadi biryani as a meal, you can always catch up for some Sulemani chai with your work buddies any time of the day.
Bright red and orange coloured shipping containers also sport ergonomic high chairs and tables, in case you want to grab a meal by yourself.
The entire process of ordering food is done seamlessly via an app, available to all Amazonians.
Third Floor
The third floor is an important one, and houses plenty of conference and training rooms, work stations, and is also the basecamp for the Facilities team, which ensures that the entire building’s operations are running smoothly.
Interestingly, the campus has one conference room seat for every 3.25 work stations, higher than the global ratio of 1:5. With 15,000 work points across 1.8 million square feet in office space (built on 3 million square feet of construction area), there’s enough and more space to get a good day’s worth of work done!
The building also meets stringent safety standards, with 110 km of fire protection system pipes.
While the first three floors are usually referred to as the ‘amenity floors’, the remaining 12 floors are referred to as the ‘office floors’.
Let’s take one of the 49 lifts (!) to take us to the next level.
Office Floors
Rivet Design, which is the architecture studio behind the building, has neatly divided each floor according to a theme. Each floor feels fresh and distinct yet united by the global Amazon office language. Each floor is divided into themes like art, music, festivals, languages, textile, etc. , within the overarching theme of “Thresholds of India.” The aim is to reflect the many-layered story that is India, through elements that connect the many to be one.
Although the themes are different, what’s common between every floor is that there’s ample amount of natural light on each floor.
The facility features casual, collaborative workspaces that make working with colleagues super easy, as well as private areas for concentration,confidentiality and even to grab a moment to yourself. You’re never too far away from a comfortable chair, a sitting/standing desk, or even a plug point while you’re on one of the 12 office floors.
Each floor has a pantry, and sprawling bay areas built for multi-purpose utility. Every design detail is aimed at improving one’s well-being and efficiency.
The Outdoors
We’d be remiss if we don’t speak about the award-winning foliage that surrounds the building.
Much like Hyderabad itself, the campus is one where the old and the new peacefully coexist.
You’ll find plenty of Amazonians calling it a day by taking a walk through the soothing gardens on the ground floor.
The HYD13 campus isn’t just an office building. It’s a world-class institution where it is still Day 1.
