A bird’s-eye view of Apple’s new US$5bn ‘spaceship’ headquarters

The latest drone footage of the construction of Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) massive new headquarters – nicknamed the ‘spaceship’ – has been posted to YouTube.

It shows the 175-acre site in Cupertino, California in all its glory as it edges nearer to completion, and includes a closer look at the impressive Steve Jobs theater.

Construction at Apple Park, as it’s officially known, is due to be finished at the end of this year although, as you can see from the video, the major structures are pretty much in place.

By the time Apple’s 12,000 or so employees can move into their new offices, the tech giant will reportedly have spent a whopping US$5bn on the project, with the land alone costing upwards of US$160mln.

The issue has rankled shareholders in the past who have criticised the HQ as being unnecessarily excessive, but the final cost will hardly put a dent in Apple’s gargantuan reserves which stood at US$215bn earlier this year.

Apple has reportedly requested 9,000 trees – including apple trees – to be planted, with 80% of the land being devoted to green space.

That’s more trees than US companies have been able to source, forcing Apple to outsource from China.

British architect Foster+Partners – the guys behind Hearst Tower in New York and Wembley Stadium in London – is the firm put in charge of designing the colossal building.

Story by ProactiveInvestors