Apple Park Visitor Center
Cupertino (California, United States of america)
Apple Park Visitor Center (Cupertino, California)
04/29/2018 | 05/01/2018 | 05/03/2018 | 05/08/2018 | 05/09/2018
It is "a uniquely designed architectural extension" of Apple's HQ, said Apple - and it is true. You can visit and shop inside the Apple Park Visitor Center in the same way as in every other Apple Retail Store, but this one is special. You can experience the whole Apple Park area in AR, including the Steve Jobs Theater and even the parking garage. You can order your refreshment with a menu card on an iPad at the Caffè Macs for indoor and outdoor seating to relax and repose - welcome at Apple! Especially the roof terrace offers a beautiful view of the main building and some of the 9,000 native and drought-resistant trees on the grounds. The Visitor Center is surrounded by olive trees and was built to welcome customers from all around the world to Apple's second headquarter in the origin city Cupertino. One includes a 3D miniature replica of Apple Park and is "brought to life by augmented reality technology" with an iPad where guests get more information about the project and learn about its goals. “Visitors can also choose to lift the entire roof off the building to peek inside to the collaborative office pod layout,” added Apple. Visitors can also get special merchandise articles like shirts, bags, caps, postcards and even onesies for babies just like at the first company store at Apple Infinite Loop, which still exists and is equipped with different exclusive merchandise like other shirt designs and cups, pencils, notebooks (I don't talk about MacBook, which you can get there too) and more.
“An exceptionally transparent envelope sits below a floating carbon-fiber roof, which cantilevers over outdoor seating areas in either side. Its softly-lit timber soffit gives the interior an inviting warmth, while the full-height glazing dematerializes the building volume.” Stefan Behling, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners commented, “The idea was to create a delicate pavilion where visitors can enjoy the same material palette and meticulous detailing seen in the Ring Building in a relaxed setting, against the backdrop of Apple Park.” “For instance, the design of the staircases is inspired by the similar ones in the main building, clad with the same quartz stone, and the countertop at the café is made with the same marble as the main restaurant.” Structural glass designed by the German company seele dominates the first impression of Apple Park. Therefore Seele provided the precisely produced flat and curved glass for the Apple Park Visitor Center and the two reception buildings for Apple Park employees. “As Apple Park is situated in a seismic zone and the panes of glass, owing to their size, are subjected to extreme movements, the structural engineering skills and expertise of seele were particularly in demand” said seele. “The enclosing façade consists of flat and curved panes up to 6m high and 3m wide. On plan the outline of this building, with its curved panes modelled on Bézier curves, resembles that of an iPhone. The panes themselves are connected together with structural glazing adhesive and fixed to stainless steel members at top and bottom. Seele was also contracted to supply side-hung doors in portal frames made from clad stainless steel, and also moving façade elements, the so-called pivot-operated panels. These are 6m high with a solid bronze frame. Each door rotates about a central vertical pivot and can be opened at 90° to the façade. The drive mechanism and the software for opening the pivot-operated panels were also provided by seele.”
Take a look into Apple Park Visitor Center and inside the first Apple company store Apple Infinite Loop in the gallery. You can also get a quick view of one entrance building for Apple Park. I do not want to share more photos of other buildings accessible as a pedestrian and around Apple Park to protect Apple's privacy. It is not confidential, but I want to share my story and my time at the Apple Park Visitor Center and the Apple Infinite Loop store. There are many incredibly well-written articles about the mammoth project Apple Park and their ambition for environmentally friendly design. I share one of my favorite articles by Steven Levy, below my photo gallery.
More photos:
Enjoy this wonderful WIRED article about Apple Park by Steven Levy. You can find the link to the article under this photo: