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Flagship San Francisco Apple Store Approved by Planning Commission

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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The City of San Francisco today approved Apple's plans to build a new retail store in the city's famous Union Square, taking over the former Levi's building at the corner of Post and Stockton streets.

According to an Apple representative presenting the company's plans to the city's planning commission, the flagship store will be "more iconic" than the well-known Fifth Avenue glass cube retail store in New York City, reported ifoAppleStore's Gary Allen after attending the meeting.

model.jpg
A model of the San Francisco Apple Store presented at the meeting (Courtesy of ifoAppleStore)​
Renderings of the location shared earlier this week depict the new store with two massive 44-foot tall sliding glass panels that allow the building to be exposed to the street.

Apple originally filed plans to move its existing Stockton Street store to the prime Post Street location back in May of 2013, but the company was forced to revise its initial building plans after critics objected to the removal of the historical Ruth Asawa fountain and the installation of an 80-foot wide wall along a key pedestrian and transit corridor.

Revised plans for the site were filed in August, and Apple pledged to move the fountain to a nearby location, add an eight-foot wide window, and move the glass wall of the store back by four feet.

The commission has now accepted Apple's second proposal with one small caveat -- the company will need to offer improved accessibility options for the store's upper floor. Earlier today, the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission also approved a permit for the project, giving Apple a green light to move on with the store's construction.

Article Link: Flagship San Francisco Apple Store Approved by Planning Commission
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/06/san-francisco-store-approved/
Dulcimer

Dulcimer

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2012
895
717
Two 44-foot sliding glass panels? That's pretty bold. Does that mean the store is open to the outside?
 
DeeGee48

DeeGee48

macrumors regular
Jun 28, 2007
224
24
Havertown, Pa
Better Do It Now!

Jony Ive should design traffic bollards for the front of that place. I can see already that some idiot will one day want to ram his car through those doors!
 
Tankmaze

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
andrew0122 said:
I also like the idea that they have removed the Apple Logo from the front of the store...
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree, kinda makes it somewhat less idolize? Which is a good thing imo.
Also the store looks natural and inviting.
 
ipedro

ipedro

macrumors 603
Nov 30, 2004
6,232
8,493
Toronto, ON
I'm genuinely curious how they'll handle the open air concept. With large doors like that, how are they going to keep out pigeons and other birds and insects?
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
entropys said:
Open doors that size would generate one impressive A/C bill.
No doubt Apple already had its CO2 offsets/indulgences already sorted.
Click to expand...

That's a problem that has been long solved. I strong, sharp stream of warm air basically isolates the inside from the outside at very little cost. And keeps insects and birds out, since someone else complained about that. Shops have had permanently open doors for many years; that's all figured out long ago.

And, this is in San Francisco. They have really nice weather most of the time where you can leave the doors open anyway.
 
M

Macist

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2009
784
462
Apple are now 100% wedded to pure modernism, with its emphasis on minimalist function. This is a glass box they've boxed themselves into.

The trouble is when you arrive at pure minimalism there's nowhere else to go as any design choice that runs counter can be dismissed as trite ornamentation. On the other hand, designs that echo the organic structures of the natural world, perhaps to provide better ergonomics or some other useful function, may be dismissed as being too jarring aesthetically.
 
D

Daalseth

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2012
599
306
entropys said:
Open doors that size would generate one impressive A/C bill.
No doubt Apple already had its CO2 offsets/indulgences already sorted.
Click to expand...

The big doors won't be open most of the time. Rain, fog, etc would make that unworkable. If you look in the corners there appear to be two sets of normal sized doors. They are tiny (in scale) and a bit hard to see but I suspect that most of the time they will be the way people go in and out with the big panels only open for special occasions on really nice days.
 
A

aukermania

macrumors newbie
Dec 16, 2011
12
0
Daalseth said:
The big doors won't be open most of the time. Rain, fog, etc would make that unworkable. If you look in the corners there appear to be two sets of normal sized doors. They are tiny (in scale) and a bit hard to see but I suspect that most of the time they will be the way people go in and out with the big panels only open for special occasions on really nice days.
Click to expand...

It would be cool and "iconic" if the sliding doors just opened for product launches or special events. Otherwise they'd be inviting for the birds and insects as others have described. Blowing air down from above the ceiling might help.
 
justperry

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,557
9,750
I'm a rolling stone.
Daalseth said:
The big doors won't be open most of the time. Rain, fog, etc would make that unworkable. If you look in the corners there appear to be two sets of normal sized doors. They are tiny (in scale) and a bit hard to see but I suspect that most of the time they will be the way people go in and out with the big panels only open for special occasions on really nice days.
Click to expand...

Macrumors already mentioned this in an earlier article, there are doors on both sides.
So, you are right.:)
 
jayducharme

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,531
5,977
The thick of it
What I found most interesting about this is that Apple was asked to provide better accessibility to the 2nd floor. From the images I've seen so far, it looks like two staircases are the only methods of getting to the upper level. I thought federal law required elevators, but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm also curious about the area for the staff. Usually Apple includes hidden meeting rooms and repair facilities. But this store doesn't seem to allow for any of that. Perhaps those facilities are underground? There's nowhere else to put them with such a slender store design
 
M

Michael73

macrumors 65816
Feb 27, 2007
1,082
41
Talk about living in a fish bowl!

Or another similar platitude...can Apple ever criticize any other company? After all, those who live in glass stores (or work in giant glass spaceship campus buildings) shouldn't throw stones :D
 
U

uraniumwilly

macrumors 6502
Apr 7, 2007
317
2
The real victory is they saved the fountain, and all the anti-art naysayers on this board lost: Apple made room for it.
 
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