Wanted: A gardener for Apple

If you are an arborist looking for the ultimate job, then I’ve found it for you. More details on Apple’s new super campus in the Californian city of Cupertino have revealed the spaceship-like building will be ringed by an assortment of blossoms and fruit trees that will bloom each year in February, around the time of Job’s birthday.

Here’s a particularly (ahem!) flowery description from Forbes:

“In late February, around the time of Jobs’ birthday, the show will begin. Pink and white plum blossoms will appear on stands of trees at the centre of Apple’s new campus, hinting at more to come.”

“A few weeks later cherry trees scattered strategically along walkways and at the edges of open glades will start to blossom.”

“Visitors arriving for new product introductions on Apple’s campus will walk down a path lined with cherry trees — the white blossoms contrasting with the dark green conifers behind them — a sight that by April should be absolutely staggering.”

Indeed. Behind all these trees is what many are calling Steve Jobs’ final grand design – a ring-shaped building that will house 12,000 employees over three million square feet of floorspace.

The pictures released by the City of Cupertino council has attracted more than a little mirth from commentators since they were released yesterday, mainly because they do little to change the perception of Apple being slightly cult-like.

The building, due to go up in 2014, isn’t likely to struggle to get council approval. As Steve Jobs himself told the city council in July, just a few months before his death, Apple is the biggest tax payer in the region and the new building is likely to increase that tax take.

You can check out the plans and pictures of the proposed building here. It’s a pretty impressive looking place, thanks in no small part the curved design – Jobs boasted there wouldn’t be a straight piece of glass in the building.

And while it might be easy to dismiss the new campus as an edifice to Jobs, the importance that tech giants such as Apple and Google place on the physical design of their workplaces is something that bears some study by SMEs.

Lots of us work in the offices that are closest to our customer base and that we can afford. But American companies have long seen huge value in creating buildings that can actually help foster innovation, collaboration and creativity.

This is partly done by getting people to spend huge chunks of their waking hours at work – even if they are eating in the canteen that seats 3,000 or working out in the fitness centres.

Giant buildings like this are beyond SMEs of course, but good design and clever use of space isn’t.

Why not spend some time thinking about doing something different with your workspace in 2012? Nut something out in the next few weeks and get everyone to move on the last day, before they all nick off early.

You might find you come back to work in the New Year feeling like you’ve made a big change for the better.