1. Fullfilment- the achievement of something desired, promised, or predicted. Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one's abilities or character. The meeting of a requirement or condition. The performance of a task, duty, or role as required, pledged, or expected.  

2. A Fullfilment Center is a location where incoming orders are received from affiliated stores or locations. These orders are processed and filled. These centers may also work independently of specific companies where orders are outsourced for the purpose of fulfilling customer orders.

Amazon applied for patenting a fullfillment center as a drone tower,link to full patent here.  The language is vague and drawings so basic not sure how it is claiming anything, but I’m not a patent lawyer, just an architect. 

The entire drone tower already exists in many forms as tall buildings with windows, balconies, and elevators.  Above and below are the patent drawings re-drawn/re-labeled with architectural elements called out, in case it’s not clear what is actually being designed here and comically patented. 

Where are the fire egress stairs though?

What the patent calls robots are common machines of the warehousing trade such as hand lifts, fork lifts, and oh, I don’t know conveyor belts? 

But Amazon should not be concerned, no one is paying attention anymore, everyone is too busy being served by the fullfilment centers.

Corby baby, what shall we do with all these grain silos?  

[photo from mnbricks.com]

[ incredible project by vib architecture SILOS 13 – cement distribution center | Paris (13)]

3. Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a  big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing  junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life . . .I chose not to choose life, I chose something else...Architecture.

[the above quote is from Trainspotting, and the updated version 20 years later for  Choose Life see Trainspotting 2] 

Selected List of Drone Towers (not necessarily fullfilment centers):

Obama Drone Aviary by Future Firm

The Hive: Drone Skyscraper by Hadeel Ayed Mohammad, Yifeng Zhao, Chengda Zhu

Drone Tower from Imaginactive