Introduction
In 2006, Apple opened its second store on the island of Manhattan, and becoming not only part of the history of computing but also an architectural icon of the city of New York.
In the words of founder and CEO of Apple Steve Jobs: “We opened our first New York store in SoHo in 2002, and has been more successful than we had ever dreamed, so now we are proud to present our second store in the city, located on Fifth Avenue. It’s amazing facilities with an excellent service in an ideal location 24 hours a day. We believe that the Apple store on Fifth Avenue is going to become one of the favorite destinations for New Yorkers and people around the world. ”
Situation
The store is located in the south-east corner of Central Park, under the square of the building General Motors occupies the space between Fifth Avenue, streets, 58 and 59 and the building itself carmaker. The exact address is 767 Fifth Avenue.
The entrance to the property is by the square itself, which is in turn the same square where the entrance to the iconic toy store FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman.
Concept
“The new plaza in front of the building General Motros is a triumph of urban design,” says James Gardner in the New York Sun. “Suddenly, as if from nowhere, New York has a new public space that will become an example of civic pride and aesthetic contemplation”.
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designer and structural engineer Eckersly O’Callahan used glass structural elements that are already signed all Apple stores to create a pure architectural element, a glass cube 10 meters on a side which becomes claim and entrance to a store that otherwise takes place underground.
During the day the glass cube becomes a source of natural light for the space buried, while at night it becomes a sort of illuminated sign from inside that is recognizable to many blocks away.
According to Ron Johnson, Apple’s vice president of sales “was in the DNA of the company trying to do something no one else had had the vision to create”.
Spaces
Visitors are drawn to the glass cube through the square building General Motors, for once inside the bucket down the stairs glass or by the central elevator, circular floor and also completely transparent.
Once downstairs we find a large open plan fully, without divisions or recesses, fully transparent and open, where different brand products are shown on large tables minimalist design in an environment where stainless steel predominate and fine textured natural stone and orogeny.
Materials
The material that gives identity to the project is undoubtedly the glass forming the input hub, the spiral staircase and elevator.
Inside false ceilings are coated with stainless steel plates, while the floor is covered with square pieces of large Italian stone.
