Apple releases revised plans for its 'spaceship' headquarters

As Apple waits for the city of Cupertino, Calif., to give the final thumbs-up for the design of its new spaceshiplike headquarters, the company has been tinkering with the details.
Cupertino published the software giant's project update for the headquarters on the city Web site on Wednesday. Included in the documents are the project description, site and landscaping plans, floor plans, renderings, and a bicycle plan.
While a ton of information was submitted, it appears that the basic essentials haven't changed too much. The building still looks like a circular spaceship; in fact, many of the renderings in the new packet are the same as past iterations. It also has the same specifications: it will be 2.8 million square feet, sit up to 14,200 employees, and have a copious amount of trees. (See more images below.)
"Apple proposes to create Apple Campus 2 -- an integrated, unified, and secure 21st century campus surrounded by green space," the revised design proposal (PDF) reads. "This new development will provide a serene environment reflecting Apple's brand values of innovation, ease of use, and beauty. The entire 176-acre site will be redeveloped with sustainable, state-of-the-art office, research, and development facilities."
Apple first brought the idea of this second campus to Cupertino in 2011 and has since experienced some delays, which isn't unusual for such a massive project. Construction was first expected to kick off last year; however, the start has been pushed back to 2014 for now. And, Apple doesn't expect employees to start working there until 2016, according to its project update.
The building cost of the new headquarters was reported to have jumped from $3 billion to $5 billion earlier this month, which is more money than it's taking to build the new World Trade Center. Supposedly, Apple has been working with the firm of starchitect Sir Norman Foster to slash $1 billion from the budget.
Before any construction can begin, the city of Cupertino still has to approve the environmental impact survey, hold planning commission and city council public hearings, and conduct a development review of the project.
(CNET)