Apple is planning a new headquarters shaped like a spaceship, which it hopes will be the best office building in the world, according to dpa. The ambitious plans were unveiled Tuesday night in a surprise appearance by Apple CEO Steve Jobs before the Cupertino City Council. Cancer patient Jobs broke into his indefinite medical leave to showcase the new design, which is planned to house 12,600 workers in a four-storey, ring-shaped building with a massive garden in its centre. "It's a little like a spaceship landed," Jobs told the council. "There is not a single straight piece of glass in this building. I think we do have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I really do think architecture students will come here to see this, I think it can be that good." Jobs said that Apple "is growing like a weed" as the success of its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers make it the world's most valuable tech company. "We've got almost 12,000 people in the area," said Jobs. "So we're renting buildings, not very good buildings either, at an ever greater radius from our campus and we're putting people in those. It's clear that we need to build a new campus." Apple has occupied its current campus, Infinite Loop, since 1993, but that holds just 2,600 workers. Jobs said that Apple hopes to break ground on its new headquarters next year and move in by 2015. The futuristic building will have its own natural-gas-fired energy centre as its main power source. It will also have an auditorium for major presentations, a research and development facility and several cafes. Local politicians welcomed the initiative. "Now that we have seen your plans, the word spectacular would be an understatement," said Councilman Orrin Mahoney, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "Everybody is going to appreciate what clearly is going to be the most elegant headquarters at least in the US that I have seen."
