Apple's Zorlu Store Receives 'Supreme Award' at Structural Awards 2014

[MacRumors]

Accolades for Apple's Zorlu store in Istanbul, Turkey continue to roll in with the company's Zorlu store winning the both the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence and the award for best Commercial or Retail Structures at the Structural Awards 2014. This Supreme award is given to the building that exemplifies the "finest example of structural engineering design" for the year.

Apple was recognized for the intricate and minimalist structural design of its flagship store in the upscale Zorlu shopping center in Istanbul, Turkey. Created in conjunction with structural engineering firm Eckersley O'Callaghan and architects Foster + Partners, the building features a unique cubic design with an all-glass ceiling and sides to take advantage of the natural lighting in the open area of the mall.

The judges found this to be a supreme example of collaboration between engineer and fabricator to achieve an outstanding, architecturally minimalist structure. The use of single panes of toughened laminated glass to support a lightweight ultra-thin CFRP roof without connections other than structural silicone, takes structural glass technology into a new dimension. A project where only engineering excellence and attention to detail can produce a result of such simplicity and purity of expression.

Apple's 20,000 square foot Zorlu store opened earlier this year with Apple's manager of retail stores Steve Cano on location for the grand opening. It was the first store in Turkey until the recent opening of the country's second Apple Store in Istanbul's Akasya Shopping Mall.

Article Link: Apple's Zorlu Store Receives 'Supreme Award' at Structural Awards 2014

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

It must be fun to be an Architect. The beauty of their buildings shows it.

 

[maflynn]

Wow, that is beautiful looking - amazing.

 

[lotzosushi]

The picture makes it look like a big button I want to push

 

[2457282]

i like the big icon on top and that the glass has no breaks in it. This seems like an improvement over the cube in New York. I wonder if they will retrofit NY to this design.

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

Well that looks familiar.

Honestly, I'm getting kinda bored with the simplicity of their 'cube' and glass designs. I much prefer when they update historic spaces.

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

i like the big icon on top and that the glass has no breaks in it. This seems like an improvement over the cube in New York. I wonder if they will retrofit NY to this design.

Didn't they just update that a few years ago to include way less seams?

 

[byke]

Shame so much focus is on the architecture on the retail outlets instead of the architecture of their software. Would iOS 8 receive a similar award for design excellence? I don't think so .....

 

[dilbert99]

Its just a glass box

I do like the look of it but come on an award for a glass box...

Like what someone else said, I like it when they do up old buildings.

 

[ikir]

Simply perfect

 

[kemal]

Somehow managed to miss visiting the store last time in Istanbul. Nice piece of kit tho.

 

[Ping Guo]

Cold, sterile, uninviting.

Echoing others' comments, I do love it when they put the stores in old buildings like Covent Gardens and Paris Opéra.

 

[Haifisch]

They need make to it thinner.

 

[TWSS37]

Isn't there a Jobs movie rumor to post?

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

I do like the look of it but come on an award for a glass box...

Like what someone else said, I like it when they do up old buildings.

Apple recently opened up a store in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's an old building that must have been gutted to make way for the store, and it's wonderful inside.

 

[mixel]

How do you get inside? Ha.

 

[617arg]

Cold, sterile, uninviting.

Echoing others' comments, I do love it when they put the stores in old buildings like Covent Gardens and Paris Opéra.

This isn't an award for design, it's for Structural Engineering. Regardless of the merits of the design the engineering of this is pretty amazing. No seams in glass panels this large is not something you see every day. Topped with an ultra thin carbon fiber reinforced roof panel......it takes things in building design/construction to a whole other level. I do wonder if/how that roof is insulated however. I'd love to see construction details.

 

[Nosferax]

An all glass building in an active seismic zone...

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Does this mean apple won't be bitching about samsung anymore...

You know... "You shouldn't throw stone if you live in a glass house" and all that

 

[thekeyring]

Shame so much focus is on the architecture on the retail outlets instead of the architecture of their software. Would iOS 8 receive a similar award for design excellence? I don't think so .....

So, until Apple does everything perfectly, we're not going to acknowledge anything it does well?

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An all glass building in an active seismic zone...

----------

Does this mean apple won't be bitching about samsung anymore...

You know... "You shouldn't throw stone if you live in a glass house" and all that

What about: "People in glass houses have to answer the door." - Karl Pilkington

 

[jayducharme]

I'm not sure what "structural silicone" means. It has to be something different from the heavy silicone caulk that normally cushions window installations.

Ah! Found it, a glazing made by Dow Corning....

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/62-018B.pdf

It seems that it's a fairly standard construction material for glass installations. But all of Dow's examples show other structural pieces around the glaze. I just can't wrap my mind around how glass alone could remain so structurally stable. The reflecting pool around the glass makes a lot of practical sense; it keeps people from pressing on the glass. And it also looks nice.

 

[satchmo]

I hope it's bigger than just that one little square room.

 

[batchtaster]

That Zorlu Store building is gorgeous. I'd love to live in it, with the glass changed to that switchable translucent/opaque glass (see season 5 of "Angel") for privacy.

 

[NMBob]

Shame so much focus is on the architecture on the retail outlets instead of the architecture of their software. Would iOS 8 receive a similar award for design excellence? I don't think so .....

Yup. This looks like a Mac mini. Did the new mini receive any awards? Hardly.

 

[Nunyabinez]

How do you get inside? Ha.

If you look closely you can see that the majority of the building is actually underground and you can see a hallway leading to the right. I'm guessing that the entrance is floor down and you can't actually get near the glass part.

 

[Jimmy James]

Well that looks familiar.

Honestly, I'm getting kinda bored with the simplicity of their 'cube' and glass designs. I much prefer when they update historic spaces.

This isn't an award for a renovation.

You can't build this. Neither can the team that built your house. It's special. That's why it won, deservedly.