Apple's Mothership: What does it have to do with modern Paleo?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 08:19PM 
Image: www.cultofmac.comOn June 7, Steve Jobs of Apple Computer revealed a proposed new addition to its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The building would be set on a 150-acre tract in part previously occupied by Hewlett-Packard. The unique design is being referred to by many news sites as a "spaceship" or "mothership".
According to MacDailyNews:
The design for the new Apple campus puts 12,000 employees in one building! “It’s a little like a spaceship landed,” said Jobs. It’s a giant 4-story ring; curved all the way around with not a straight piece of glass in the place. Jobs said that Apple’s experience building extreme glass for retail stores contributed to the campus’ design know-how.
Image: www.cultofmac.comSo, what does this have to do with the modern Paleolithic lifestyle? Well, more than it first appears. It is certainly very modern, even ultramodern. However, as these images suggest, it also helps reconstruct the natural world. Nature is not treated as an afterthought such as a thin rim of landscaping around a building perimeter or trees and bushes at the edge of a parking lot.
The site will go from approximately 3,700 trees to around 6,000. The employee count increases by 40%, space will increase by 20%, landscaping by 350%, the aforementioned trees by 60%, and the surface parking (asphalt) decreases by 90%.
Apple plans to generate their own power via natural gas and other means that will be cleaner than using the electrical grid. They will use the grid as a backup, not as the primary power source.
If approved, the building may serve as a model for future business development, at least where similar space is available. But, why not take it a little further? Plant vegetables and fruits in the central courtyard to supply the café. If similar reconstruction occurs near the campus in the future, connect the building to nearby rings through underground travelways and extend the natural component even further. Then, further and further ..... to a modern Paleolithic.
More images of the "mothership" here and the video of Steve Jobs' presentation to the Cupertino City Council here.
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