Apple has unveiled its latest retail space and perhaps a glimpse of how our cities will adapt commercial real estate in the years ahead
Apple has unveiled its latest retail space and perhaps a glimpse of how our cities will adapt commercial real estate in the years ahead.
The Chicago store opens today (Oct. 20) on the riverfront location of Michigan Avenue and Apple says it is its most ambitious store which moves way beyond simply a place to sell iPhones.
“Apple Michigan Avenue is about removing boundaries between inside and outside, reviving important urban connections within the city,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “It unites a historic city plaza that had been cut off from the water, giving Chicago a dynamic new arena that flows effortlessly down to the river.”
The removal of the traditional bricks and mortar boundaries with the streets outside have necessitated the use of materials such as a carbon fiber roof designed to be as thin as possible, while the glass structure is held up with four internal pillars.
The new store will fuel discussion about how retailers can adapt their space to bring greater benefits to the communities they serve by creating space that is about more than a sales center.
The Chicago store opens today (Oct. 20) on the riverfront location of Michigan Avenue and Apple says it is its most ambitious store which moves way beyond simply a place to sell iPhones.
“Apple Michigan Avenue is about removing boundaries between inside and outside, reviving important urban connections within the city,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “It unites a historic city plaza that had been cut off from the water, giving Chicago a dynamic new arena that flows effortlessly down to the river.”
The removal of the traditional bricks and mortar boundaries with the streets outside have necessitated the use of materials such as a carbon fiber roof designed to be as thin as possible, while the glass structure is held up with four internal pillars.
The new store will fuel discussion about how retailers can adapt their space to bring greater benefits to the communities they serve by creating space that is about more than a sales center.
