It was a long-time wish of Steve Jobs to have a huge Apple campus. It was one of his major dreams and on Tuesday, Apple Park finally made its debut.
The campus is located in a 175-acre land in Cupertino, California. It was where the three latest iPhone models, an Apple TV and an Apple Watch were launched on the same day. It also marks the first time that journalists were welcomed in the new Apple digs.
Apple Park Campus
Apple Park houses several buildings. The most prominent of the structures is the “Spaceship” (unofficial name), a 2.8-million square-foot round building.
It has one of the world’s largest roof-mounted solar farms, custom-made aluminum door handles and four-storey curved glass panels. Apple Park Campus displays the largest curved glass panels in the world. This is where 12,000 Apple employees will have their offices.
The campus was one of Steve Jobs’ last wishes. He personally pitched the project to the Cupertino City Council just months before he passed away. The city council unanimously approved the proposal after two years.
Apple Park was built on an office park that was once the property of Hewlett-Packard. It is in the center of Silicon Valley and just a short distance from 1 Infinite Loop, the former headquarters of Apple. The huge Spaceship is not yet finished and visitors were not allowed inside. It’s projected ready for occupancy by the end of 2017.
Other Buildings
Some of the buildings are already complete and are doing business. The Apple Park Visitor Center has an Apple retail store. Apple now calls their retail stores “town squares.”
One of the attractions is the Steve Jobs Theater, which can seat 1,000 people. The iPhone presentation on Tuesday was held at the theater.
The Visitor Center also has a public café, the first for Apple. It likewise has an exhibit space where visitors can have a reality experience through a large iPad window. It shows a 3D model of the campus, with views at different times of day. The visitor can see how traffic flows within the campus and the parking spaces available at the huge detached parking lot.
The Steve Jobs Theater
The beauty of the theater in Apple Park can be seen in its location atop a small hill. The metal and glass structure is a glass cylinder, 20 feet tall and a diameter of 165 feet.
It is also like a small spaceship, with a stunning metallic carbon-fiber roof that reflects the sky, supported only by the glass walls.
What can be seen above ground is the theater’s foyer. The auditorium is below the ground, which can be reached by taking the curved glass elevators. The two elevators rotate while descending. There is also a pair of curved staircases from the reception area.
The interior of the theater is elegant and simple, with muted colors of brown, gray, black and white. The seats are well padded and comfortable and each seat is installed with a power outlet. Cellular service is available inside Steve Jobs Theater.
The Apple Park Campus is serene despite its location. It’s also creatively hidden from view by the carefully positioned rolling hills and the 9,000 trees surrounding the campus. It is based on the design created by Steve Jobs.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
LinkedIn
Email