Apple announced Wednesday that its new Silicon Valley headquarters will open in April as Apple Park. The 175-acre campus in Cupertino boasts grassy fields, 9,000 drought-resistant trees and futuristically designed clean energy buildings that will house more than 12,000 Apple employees.
Apple has also revealed that the campus' 1,000-seat, glass cylinder auditorium will be named the Steve Jobs Theater, in honor of the late co-founder, who would have turned 62 this Friday, February 24.
"Steve was exhilarated, and inspired, by the California landscape, by its light and its expansiveness. It was his favorite setting for thought. Apple Park captures his spirit uncannily well," said Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs. "He would have flourished, as the people of Apple surely will, on this luminously designed campus."
Apple Park's many perks -- such as a 100,000-square-foot fitness center, two miles of walking and running paths, an orchard, meadow and a pond -- are for Apple employees only. But there will be a visitors center and an Apple Store on site that's open to the public.
Apple Park is powered by 100 percent renewable energy, with 17 megawatts of rooftop solar generated from what Apple says is one of the largest on-site solar energy installations in the world. The main employee building is ring-shaped with 2.8 million-square-feet of work space. The spaceship-like building is naturally ventilated and projected to maintain temperature without heating or air conditioning for nine months of the year.
"Steve's vision for Apple stretched far beyond his time with us. He intended Apple Park to be the home of innovation for generations to come," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "The workspaces and parklands are designed to inspire our team as well as benefit the environment. We've achieved one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world and the campus will run entirely on renewable energy."