Is Apple’s collosal new circular super-office. Welcome to the $5 billion campus, says
compensate there’s also fresh-air ventilation. This was one of Jobs’ desires: to keep those inside connected to the world outdoors. His influence is everywhere, such as the fitness and wellness centre, a multi-storey building clad in stone distressed to resemble the former CEO’s favourite hotel in Yosemite.
If you’ve ever watched an Apple presentation, you’ll recognise certain persistent themes: after the boldly described innovations there is always an emphasis on the importance of being environmentally responsible. This might seem confusing from a company that delivers endless updates to its products but its gadgets do boast recyclable materials, arsenic-free glass, mercury-free displays and so on. Apple even has a robot called Liam which can recognise, dismantle and sort reusable elements from an iPhone that’s reached the end of its life. So it’s no surprise that Apple values green energy.
As CEO Tim Cook told me earlier this year: “We very much care about our environment. We set out on a goal which seemed reckless at the time of running Apple on 100 per cent renewable energy. I’m proud to say today we run Apple on 93 per cent renewable energy and we’re going to make that extra seven.” So the new campus will be mostly powered from an onsite lowcarbon plant, supplemented by solar panels that cover much of the building’s roofs. There are also reports that the campus will use recycled water.
For now, the press will mostly be focusing on the Steve Jobs Theater, which is likely to offer its own glimpses of Apple’s pursuit of perfection. The
building is made up of a circular glass wall that supports a silver-disc roof. To reach the auditorium you must descend spiral staircases or take a lift — and even this simple task became an engineering test. The circular nature of the building means you enter the lift on one side but exit on the other. So the lift has two sets of doors, right? Oh no, they only wanted one door, so the lift gently rotates as it descends. Only Apple.
And that’s as it should be. The best corporate HQs are expressions of the ambitions and outlook of the people
who work in them. Apple Park is no exception. The building weaves in its late co-founder’s passions and idiosyncrasies. It displays the brand’s pursuit of function wrapped in beauty. Its sheer size and the commitment to architecture makes clear: we will be shaping your lives for a very long time. And, as Apple battles in a ruthless smartphone market, it must also hope that the Apple Park will inspire its staff to keep their finger on the power button of invention for many years to come.
@davidphelan2009