Lately Microsoft has been chasing Apple's hardware lineup and giving away free software to lure Ex-Windows customers back to the fold. Yes, unlike Steve Ballmer who always thought that Apple was a lost child, CEO Satya Nadella has decided to mirror Apple wherever possible. With Apple's new spaceship campus getting so much attention, it appears that Microsoft has to do something to give their employees a little to get buzzed about. I guess it's just part of the 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' syndrome. It was made public late yesterday that Microsoft has submitted a proposal with the city of Mountain View, Calif., to redevelop the company's campus based there.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reported yesterday afternoon that Microsoft "dropped off formal plans to the city for a major modernization and addition to its 515,000-square-foot facility. The company also intends to buy the campus, which it has long leased, Executive Vice President Qi Lu wrote in an email to employees. GeekWire added that "Some of the proposed features include modern work spaces, a subterranean parking lot and a soccer field."

But I've saved the best for last. Below is an artist's rendering of the completed Microsoft Silicon Valley campus from the air.

Note the extensive green roofs with one containing that soccer field noted in the Qi Lu memo. Wow, do those Microsoft creatives have that certain indescribable flair about them like no other or what? They're really giving Apple's spaceship campus a real run for its money. Okay it's Friday, give me a break – it looks like a confused blob from this aerial view and embarrassing to think that they'd even want this published for tech fans to see. Ha!

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