Steve Jobs Pitches Futuristic Apple Campus To Cupertino City Council (PICTURES, VIDEO) (UPDATE)

UPDATE: Cupertino.org has released gorgeous, high-res images of Apple's plans for a futuristic new campus. Check them out, along with new stats from the proposal, here.

Steve Jobs appeared before the Cupertino City Council on Tuesday night to present Apple's plans for a massive, futuristic-looking campus.

With the council's approval, Apple will start construction on the new Cupertino offices, which will be located on property purchased from Hewlett-Packard. According to Patch, Jobs said Apple plans to "break ground next year and move in by 2015."

Jobs then showed off illustrations of a ring-shaped building, which he said will have a 12,000-person capacity. "It's pretty cool," Jobs remarked to the council as he flipped through illustrated slides of the proposed campus.

Mac Rumors posted Jobs's description of the building:

It's a little like a spaceship landed. It's got this gorgeous courtyard in the middle... It's a circle. It's curved all the way around. If you build things, this is not the cheapest way to build something. There is not a straight piece of glass in this building. It's all curved. We've used our experience making retail buildings all over the world now, and we know how to make the biggest pieces of glass in the world for architectural use. And, we want to make the glass specifically for this building here. We can make it curve all the way around the building...

Apple's plan will increase the site's office space from 2.6 million square feet to 3.1 million square feet, but the company will significantly improve the grounds around the offices, too, Jobs said.

The former HP campus currently features 20 percent landscaping. "It's pretty bad," admitted Jobs. The redesigned campus, however, will feature 80 percent landscaping, with twice the amount of indigenous trees. Most of the parking space will be relocated underground, Jobs also noted.

"[W]e're proud of Apple," Councilmember Kris Wang told Jobs at Tuesday's meeting, according to Patch.

"I'm proud to be in Cupertino, too," Jobs replied.

Check out pictures of Apple's plans for the new campus (below) and watch Jobs's 21-minute presentation to the Cupertino City Council. What do you think of Apple's proposed campus? Let us know in the comments.

Loading Slideshow

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• Apple's current Cupertino campus. [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• Proposed building site, formerly owned by HP. [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• [via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gtuz5OmOh_M#at=53" target="_hplink">YouTube</a>]

• via <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/steve-jobs-cupertino/" target="_hplink">TechCrunch</a>

Comments

[Jeffrey Morgan]

02:45 PM on 07/27/2011

ET iphone home

[jt1980]

01:35 AM on 06/13/2011

I immediately thought: "Pentagon"

[liarfire]

12:52 PM on 06/13/2011

Venous project.....he is taking from this i am sure of it......

[Cleo Creech]

11:18 PM on 06/12/2011

Absolutely, hate it. A total throwback to outdated architecture models as a cold sculptural object in an open field without any connection to the town, the street, the sidewalk, or even any sort of liveable welcoming environment for pedestrians or people. It looks like it totally turns in on itself with probably an inner boulevard or maybe even some sort of circular transit system being that big. So basically people would be working in a giant mall.

[liarfire]

12:54 PM on 06/13/2011

good point......i am mixed.. i like some of the thinking around this kind of thing..
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
BUt i love the warmth and humanness of old structures that had beauty be a part of the architecture..they celebrated life so much more in that....

[leorangerie]

03:21 PM on 06/12/2011

Actually, it looks very, very cool. Good for them.

[YoBear]

01:21 AM on 06/12/2011

My only question, what becomes of all the satellite buildings Apple vacates in Cupertino? Gonna look like a ghost town.

[Cynth Bage]

12:33 PM on 06/11/2011

I shared this link as a reply to someone else's comment, but I'll post it up here as well. No one goes to Page 2 on HuffPo to read a reply.

http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/34092/apple-to-build-spaceship-as-new-hq/

[netman714]

12:15 PM on 06/11/2011

The only thing better would be them to get it to float in mid-air!

[maslin]

09:26 PM on 06/10/2011

It's simple and elegant, with all the complex stuff hidden behind a beautiful facade.

It's exactly what I would expect from Apple.

I do have one criticism though. In the elevation view, it's pretty boring looking.

[honky1234]

09:04 PM on 06/10/2011

Looks like inefficient building design

[YoBear]

01:17 AM on 06/12/2011

And not cheap. Looks like Apple shareholders will get the raw end of this deal. But it is great architecture and I applaud it for that. I also really like the idea of having more of the land reverted back to a more natural state. Thank you apple shareholders ;)

[WSAY]

11:57 PM on 06/12/2011

Considering the money Jobs has made shareholders, they should let him do as he likes.

[Liza Enriquez]

08:22 PM on 06/10/2011

IT IS KIND OF LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A SALAD BOWL AND A ROULETTE WHEEL....

[liarfire]

07:02 PM on 06/10/2011

he is stealing from the Venus project...he kinda does that stuff you know...takes credit for other peoples work....

[WSAY]

11:57 PM on 06/12/2011

Loser.

[liarfire]

02:59 AM on 06/13/2011

you or him?

[liarfire]

03:11 AM on 06/13/2011

obvious a nerve was struck.....

[JAZZVIEW]

01:17 PM on 06/10/2011

Clearly everyone there was in awe of Steve Jobs - truly one of the visionaries of our time. (But obviously softball questioning) Curious if the round choice was a purely aesthetic choice or are there practical reasons. Increasing green space is always nice. I wonder what it will feel like to be inside the building. I would also think that with all that square footage they could get some of their power from Solar. Perhaps that could help offset some of air pollution their natural gas power station would put out - ok ok - I would love to work there...

[YoBear]

01:18 AM on 06/12/2011

I want to work there too! Can I get a corner office?

[WSAY]

11:59 PM on 06/12/2011

Steve Jobs never fails to think things through. I'm sure there are practical considerations.

[GEConley]

10:36 AM on 06/10/2011

OMG how can you report or discuss the design of a new building/campus and not mention the architect or designer???!!??!! Do you report on or discuss books without mention of the author? Even if uber-design-driven Apple and Jobs designed the building themselves then that is also noteworthy and should be at least mentioned.
Granted this complaint is aimed at every single general media outlet ever to have reported on a new building proposal, not just HP.

Disgruntled architect.

[beornborg]

11:39 AM on 06/10/2011

Having a building designed by Norman Foster isn't important enough to mention.

[JeffJeckyll]

07:44 PM on 06/10/2011

looks like Jacques Fresco's work.

[ZenSufi]

09:24 AM on 06/10/2011

Looks like it'll really take off during a tornado.

[TCPITS]

02:27 AM on 06/10/2011

I hear the building will actually be built in China and shipped to Cupertino. Two American workers will bolt it together and a made in the USA sticker will be posted prominently.

[YoBear]

01:19 AM on 06/12/2011

F&F just to see more of your humor!