Amazon's Seattle spheres will have employee 'treehouses'

You've probably seen Amazon's work-in-progress spherical Seattle biodomes by this point — they're essentially large glass spheres with a somewhat angular frame, and at least per the renders that have been released, they'll be gorgeous to look at upon completion. The company plans to fill these domes with thousands of plant species, turning them into a veritable earthy paradise for its workers to chill in. Amongst those plants will multi-storey 'treehouses,' as well.

According to a recent report by the New York Times, Amazon's ultimate intention for the biosphere is to provide it employees with a place where they can be inspired and, likely, to relax with fellow coworkers. The domes will operate as large greenhouses, complete with vast arrays of plants and carefully created water bodies.

These biodomes will also feature rooms positioned three stories high with plants arranged around them, providing space to work or meet up without compromising the nature of the spheres. Amazon may one day let the public take tours of these spheres — sometime after they open in 2018, of course — but current plans peg them as employee-only paradises.

It's common for tech companies to go above and beyond with their workspaces, adopting unusual architecture, providing lounging and isolation spaces, fun break rooms, and more in an effort to improve their employees' overall satisfaction and work quality. Twitter's headquarters has a game room, for example, and Zappos has a ball pit.