Amazon HQ2 Metropolitan Park

Officially completed in Spring 2023, the 2.5 acre Metropolitan Park is an innovative and integral part of the Arlington community.

MMD was part of the design team working on office and amenity spaces in both towers, as a consultant with Gensler’s regional office.

Each of MetPark’s two ground-floor lobbies are open to the public with lush greenery, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open to the outdoors, and inviting ground level shops.

Amazonians’ workspaces begin on the second floor of each tower with a three-story “Center of Energy” that serves as an entryway to the office areas and a community space. Office areas are designed with nods to the Potomac and its surrounding waterways. Amenity spaces include a game room and an Expressions Lab—a studio where team members can take painting or 3-D printing classes, or even gardening classes in a dedicated urban farm.

Featuring natural light and organic materials, a large multipurpose event space on the second floor of one of the towers serves Amazon, Arlington County, and community groups. The space can host up to 700 people for programs ranging from community meetings, social gatherings and cultural performances.

Surrounding the towers are two dog parks, a playground, central green space, and walking paths lined with art installations. “Queen City” by artist Nekisha Durrett is named after a Black community that was displaced in the 1940s after the federal government claimed the land used to develop the Pentagon; the installation features more than 900 ceramic vessels that represent the Arlington residents.

Amazon’s Arlington headquarters is a stellar example of its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and embracing 100% renewable energy consumption by 2030. Among other initiatives, green roofs, thermal transition lobbies, and energy-efficient façades, including sunshades that line the glass exterior, minimize energy consumption.

“We were honored to be part of the design team working on office and amenity spaces for Amazon’s HQ2. We consider it a privilege to contribute to the design process for this most important work in our region,”
– Michael Marshall, FAIA, NOMA, NCARB

“The Amazon Met Park project was incredibly exciting and rewarding. It was a unique and challenging experience considering how it started, fully remotely, during the Covid pandemic in 2020. I hope our contribution as a design team proves to be successful in the future use of Amazon’s Arlington HQ and the vibrant community.”
– Marco Feligioni, Project Designer, MMD

“These buildings are the first step to creating an urban campus where our future 25,000 employees and the local community can live, work and play.”
– John Schoettler, Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities, Amazon

Photography: Magda Biernat