Apple is a brand loved the world over and has forged a reputation as an industry leader
and trail-blazer in the tech industry. Apple can pretty much write a check to do anything
it pleases and they proved that by dropping a whopping 5 billion dollars on a cutting-edge
new campus in Cupertino, California. Aptly named Apple Park, it is a behemoth structure
that resembles a spaceship more than an office building and is a fitting monument to the
juggernaut Apple is in the tech industry. Let's take a look at the awe-inspiring digs
of the Apple company. Now hit that thumbs up button, subscribe, ring the notification
bell, and share this video! Apple Park is built on 176 acres and took
eight years to go through the planning, proposal, permit application, and construction processes.
Nicknamed ‘the spaceship’ because of the scale of the circular building, it measures
1 mile in circumference, with a diameter of 461 m (1,512 ft). Designed by Norman Foster
and engineered by ARUP it can accommodate 14,200 parking spaces and more than 12,000
staff!!! Steve Jobs asked that the campus blend into and be one with nature so some
80 percent of Apple Park is green space that has been planted with drought-proof trees
and plants. Orchards and gardens dot the property and supply fresh fruit and vegetables for
the cafeterias. The structure is said to be one of the most energy-efficient structures
ever built. It is completely powered by renewable energy, with solar panels installed on the
roof capable of generating 17 megawatts of power which sends juice to 75% of the structure
during peak daytime hours. The air flows freely between the inside and outside of the building,
providing natural ventilation throughout. This was accomplished using 4,300 hollow concrete
slabs which act as the floors and ceilings as an innovative air-conditioning system.
Effectively making Apple Park a ‘breathing’ building. With over 9,000 trees on-site, including
indigenous oaks and orchards, as well as meadows, sports fields, terraces, and a secluded pond
it feels more like a nature preserve than the multi-billion-dollar headquarters of one
of the leading companies in the tech world. Apple Park is a testament to the innovation
and the futuristic ideas that Apple company is all about.
Apple's new base camp was notoriously expensive to construct, with features like four-story
glass windows and a detached 1,000-person theater for product announcements. It even
produces its electricity, powered by a solar-panel-covered roof. The building cost soared to such astronomical
levels partly because of the circular design. That building is gargantuan, measuring one
mile in circumference. It is so big buses and bikes are provided for employees to get
from one end of the campus to the other. Under the building is a carefully laid out labyrinth
of roads and parking spaces. The campus is equipped with seven cafes and a 100,000 square
foot fitness center. The Steve Jobs Theater seats 1,000 people. There are also two large
buildings for the research and development facilities as well as a care clinic for employees.
There is a visitor center for people to visit, but the majority of the campus is closed to
the public, due to security concerns. The simple form of the ringed structure is
the epitome of expertise and innovation. It comprises the core elements of communal ‘pod’
spaces for collaboration, private office spaces for concentrated work, and broad, glazed walkways
outlining the perimeter. The otherworldly building features the largest sheets of curved
glass ever constructed – that allow uninterrupted connection to the nature that lies outside.
Although the building is cutting edge and one of a kind, that does not mean that it
doesn’t come with flaws. In February 2018, there were reports that emergency services
had treated Apple staff for injuries caused by walking into the numerous glazed walls
on the campus. Three employees had received treatment for minor cuts to the head and,
according to a report on Twitter, up to seven people were injured at Apple Park on the first
day it opened. Employees have said while the structure is a beauty to behold, some of the
design decisions produced areas that appear to be free of any structure and clear to walk
through but that’s surely not the case as the glass walls have caused a number of injuries.
However, the campus comes with anything an employee could want. Apple Park has seven
cafés, with the largest being a three-level café for 3,000 sitting people. It has a light-colored
stone lining and glass railing with no metal support and is surrounded by extensive landscaping.
The ground floor space of 20,000 sq ft can accommodate 600 people and 1,750 seats on
terraces outside, with a capacity to serve 15,000 lunches a day from its many cafeterias
and eateries. The underground theatre named after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs seats up
to 1,000 people and is used for product launches. Above the theatre is a cylinder-shaped lobby
with cylindrical-shaped glass walls and no support columns, which give an unobstructed
360-degree view of the surrounding campus. The theater also includes a 42-foot-high glass
elevator that rotates 171 degrees from the bottom to the upper lobby level. The elevator
is made from chemically-tempered glass and is considered to be the tallest free-standing,
glass elevator in the world. Since its opening in 2017, the Steve Jobs theatre has been used
for the product launches of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, Apple Watch Series
3, and Apple TV 4k. Apple Park does not rest on the surface of
the Earth. Instead, it sits on nearly 700 "huge stainless-steel saucers" intended to
protect the building's foundation from natural disasters, such as earthquakes. In the event
of an earthquake, the campus can shift up to four feet on those saucers preventing the
stresses that would otherwise damage or destroy conventionally constructed buildings during
an earthquake. Speaking to the New York Times Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, said
earthquake preparedness was an essential component of the building's design. Ive said the late
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was inspired by Japanese building design, where "base-isolation"
technology is more common than in the US. With so much money invested into Apple Park
and a little 12,000 employees working there is no wonder the tech giant wants to protect
it. While most of Apple Park is closed to the
public there is a visitor center for people to peruse and it is just as cutting edge as
the rest of the gigantic campus. The building is a two-story 20,135 sq ft structure divided
into 4 main sectors. One sector is the Apple Store which features Apple-branded merchandise
like t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, tote bags, and other merch not sold at regular Apple
stores. There is a 2,386 sq ft café, an exhibition space showcasing a 3D model of Apple Park
with augmented reality, and a roof terrace overlooking the campus. It opened to the public
on November 17, 2017. The estimated cost of the visitor's building alone is 80 million
dollars! The center is across the road from the campus proper and is connected to an underground
parking garage, with close to 700 spaces, the garage was built at an estimated cost
of 31 million dollars! Apple Park is located 1.2 miles east of the
original Apple headquarters that was constructed back in 1977. With the company being based
in Cupertino for so long, Apple decided to build in the area rather than move to another
location. Keeping its roots where it started as opposed to abandoning its beginnings is
one of the reasons Apple is so loved in that area of California and I am sure the top-of-the-line
high-tech structure does not hurt property values in that neighborhood.
Apple spared no expense with its new headquarters giving its employees an environment to work
in most people would kill for. One thing is for sure, I would rather be living in Apples
cutting-edge Earthly spaceship headquarters than my 1-bedroom condo.
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