Apple Campus 2 Construction Continues as Walkways, Lamps, and Parking Lots Appear on Site

[routine_analyst]

Steve wasn't one to dwell in the past, so I don't think that a full-blown statue or even a memorial is something that he would approve of and his colleagues know that. If I had to guess, they will consult Laurene Powell Jobs and propose naming the auditorium after him. It is, after all, the kind of place where he shone (and, specifically, where would've shone, had he not lost the battle at all or when he did) the most above all other CEOs (yes, he was also a brilliant CEO behind the scenes, but no one else had such a stage presence and probably never will during our lifetimes), and even more fitting a homage than naming the entire Pixar building (which actually happened) or the entire Apple Campus 2 after him.

That way, whenever a product introduction took place, the invitations and keynote announcements would always bear his name, but the employees themselves wouldn't be dwelling in the past during their daily errands, as Steve advocated and patently stated upon stepping down… Seems like a sensible compromise, if you ask me.


To be entirely fair, the idea for its shape was probably Steve's, but it was designed by Foster and Partners, with input from Jony Ive and a great deal of influence from the previous work done for Apple Stores by Bohlin Cywinsky Jackson…

While you are correct with your ideas of Steve not dwelling on the past ... Tim Cook is the opposite. It's apparent by his constant reminders he speaks about on all the great things Apple has already done. I would guarantee there will be a massive shrine to Steve someplace on this campus and perhaps even an empty office.

 

[44267547]

I don't begrudge anyone their feelings about the building. For those who like it or are excited by it, good for them. To me it's just another office building... although a very large circular building. Architecturally speaking, there are far more interesting circular interpretations out there. Just my opinion. As for the Jobs angle, it does nothing for me either.

It really doesn't (goes beyond "An office building"), it's just a huge building with a huge amount of solar panels on it.
Is it nice, yes it is but there are far more beautiful buildings than this one.
And the engineering isn't that special either except maybe the curved windows which are not made in the US BTW.
( )
It's just a huge but 4 story only building/office.

The same could be said about anything when in comparison to something else. Building A is nicer than Buidling B because of X reasons why because of location, design, technology, etc. This type of architecture stands out, being the amount of engineering behind it. And it's gaining attention, because it is Apple.

Everyone has a different perception of how they view architecture and a building of this magnitude, without fully seeing how is encompassed in person.

Also, just because you see a few aerial shots of a Macrumors posts does absolutely nothing in terms of what it looks like in person. If either of you were granted a private tour of the internal/external of the Space Ship, then I would be interested in hearing your opinions of what this actually looked like. Until then, "Its just another building" sounds closed minded and viewing this in a "Meh" type of attitude. Which is fine, but others may not share your view points. To each their own.

@justperry, if you read back. You mentioned the "windows were not made in the US by the way." I previously stated they were made in and imported from Germany in post #23.

 

[chr1s60]

While you are correct with your ideas of Steve not dwelling on the past ... Tim Cook is the opposite. It's apparent by his constant reminders he speaks about on all the great things Apple has already done. I would guarantee there will be a massive shrine to Steve someplace on this campus and perhaps even an empty office.

I think giving Steve an office is the right thing to do, not some statue or something like that. He likely had an area he wanted his office which would be known to those who worked on the plans for the building, they should honor that and give him his office. Nothing is needed inside. Maybe just a name on the door, if even that.

 

[routine_analyst]

These videos have great soundtracks. Far better than previous ones... thank god! Love the piano and bass.

 

[justperry]

The same could be said about anything when in comparison to something else. Building A is nicer than Buidling B because of X reasons why because of location, design, technology, etc. This type of architecture stands out, being the amount of engineering behind it. And it's gaining attention, because it is Apple.

Everyone has a different perception of how they view architecture and a building of this magnitude, without fully seeing how is encompassed in person.

Also, just because you see a few aerial shots of a Macrumors posts does absolutely nothing in terms of what it looks like in person. If either of you were granted a private tour of the internal/external of the Space Ship, then I would be interested in hearing your opinions of what this actually looked like. Until then, "Its just another building" sounds closed minded and viewing this in a "Meh" type of attitude. Which is fine, but others may not share your view points. To each their own.

You can say what you want but I am sure most people prefer this one.
This looks so much better.
And lots more engineering.

And yes, it"s an office building too.

 

[44267547]

You can say what you want but I am sure most people prefer this one.
This looks so much better.
And lots more engineering.

View attachment 686301


And yes, it"s an office building too.

Ok? Yes, that's a nice building....I already mentioned there are other buildings when in comparison. I'm not arguing or stating Apple has the state of the art design or most innovative building ever. Your not reading what I wrote.

My point is, it's more than a building until you actually have the opportunity to view it from a first person perspective versus just From a picture. That's my point. I'm not saying you have to be mesmerized by something above Apple's design or wowed by it. But If you had the chance tour it, I think it would perhaps show you differently other than your glib response you posted, which is fine, being it's your opinion and I respect That. But it goes beyond a picture to necessarily appreciate the interior/exterior of what we don't see. That was My whole point.

 

[Mainyehc]

While you are correct with your ideas of Steve not dwelling on the past ... Tim Cook is the opposite. It's apparent by his constant reminders he speaks about on all the great things Apple has already done. I would guarantee there will be a massive shrine to Steve someplace on this campus and perhaps even an empty office.

Are you sure about that? Yes, I am aware that Apple had a few commemorative pages, that they keep quite a few older/less featured models around (the older rMBPs, iPhones and iPads and the Series 1 Apple Watch come to mind), and that they even bought old machines and released that newfangled book thing, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that Tim is the polar opposite of Steve. Actually, Steve also reminisced over Apple's history on occasion during keynotes, so neither of them can be considered that radical. As for a massive shrine? On an already massive building? That would actually be corny/tasteless, the building *is* the shrine, a plaque, or bust, or some other discrete memorial would suffice. I mean, it's *minimalist* Steve we're talking about, right?

I think giving Steve an office is the right thing to do, not some statue or something like that. He likely had an area he wanted his office which would be known to those who worked on the plans for the building, they should honor that and give him his office. Nothing is needed inside. Maybe just a name on the door, if even that.

Well, we can only speculate, but since you're willing to go down that route… Guess what, there is already a vacant and untouched Steve's office at the main campus… Shouldn't that suffice? Which is perfectly understandable, and it will either be emptied or torn down along with the building if it ever comes to that decades from now, or never and become a museum exhibit of sorts, like the work and/or living quarters of many historically relevant personalities. More than that would border on creepy and fanatical, IMHO.

And what makes you think that the whole C-level team would/will move to AC2 and get their own dedicated offices there? I'm not entirely sure, but I may have read somewhere that they wouldn't, and that AC2, for all its sheer massiveness, would mostly house ancillary departments that are currently strewn around Cupertino.

For all we know (please, let's hope they do), those executives could end up spending most of their time when staying at AC2 at the relatively pedestrian R&D building instead of on the ring…

 

[Bart Kela]

And what makes you think that the whole C-level team would/will move to AC2 and get their own dedicated offices there? I'm not entirely sure, but I may have read somewhere that they wouldn't, and that AC2, for all its sheer massiveness, would mostly house ancillary departments that are currently strewn around Cupertino.

For all we know (please, let's hope they do), those executives could end up spending most of their time when staying at AC2 at the relatively pedestrian R&D building instead of on the ring…

Apple Campus 2 is slated to house core engineering teams: iPhone hardware engineering, iOS engineering, Mac hardware engineering, and macOS engineering. Naturally, engineering management for those departments would join their respective groups.

There will be consolidation at Infinite Loop, and spaces vacated by the aforementioned departments would be filled by other engineering groups (like Internet Software and Services, the folks that report under Eddy Cue) many of whom are at satellite offices scattered all around Cupertino.

I don't expect the C-level executives to move. Apple has only four C-level executives anyhow: Cook (CEO), Ive (Chief Design Officer), Maestri (CFO), and Williams (COO). I could see Ive having a second office at the new R&D building at AC2. It is likely that the C-level team will continue to be based out of Infinite Loop. It is closer to the original buildings that Apple called home during the early years. And while it is not referred to as such, Infinite Loop is really Apple Campus 1.

I can imagine that Riccio (SVP Hardware Engineering), Federighi (SVP Software Engineering), and Srouji (SVP Hardware Technologies) may have office space at both AC2 and Infinite Loop.

 

[Boatboy24]

Probability of 10th anniversary iPhone presented there?

100%

 

[69Mustang]

The same could be said about anything when in comparison to something else. Building A is nicer than Buidling B because of X reasons why because of location, design, technology, etc. This type of architecture stands out, being the amount of engineering behind it. And it's gaining attention, because it is Apple.

Our differing opinions doesn't change the fact that they are just that; opinions. Neither one more valid than the other; just differing. To you, the building has some significance. To me it doesn't. There's nothing wrong with either stance.

Also, just because you see a few aerial shots of a Macrumors posts does absolutely nothing in terms of what it looks like in person. If either of you were granted a private tour of the internal/external of the Space Ship, then I would be interested in hearing your opinions of what this actually looked like. Until then, "Its just another building" sounds closed minded and viewing this in a "Meh" type of attitude. Which is fine, but others may not share your view points. To each their own.

I'm not discounting the engineering in the building. They've done some marvelous things with materials and such. I'm discounting the look. As a stand alone object measured against no other, it still looks plain to me. Just circular. Probably because it reminds me of GCHQ. In an A/B comparison, it looks even more pedestrian. Again, my opinion. Circular buildings that interest me architecturally:
The Al Dar HQ in Abu Dahbi

The Fang Yuan Bldg in China. I can't say for sure but it had to be based on an ancient Chinese coin

The Shaybt Palace of Creativity in Kazakhstan. Appropriately enough also known as the dog bowl.

Again, just my opinion. Yours differs. It's totally okay for that to be the case.

 

[44267547]

Our differing opinions doesn't change the fact that they are just that; opinions. Neither one more valid than the other; just differing. To you, the building has some significance. To me it doesn't. There's nothing wrong with either stance.


I'm not discounting the engineering in the building. They've done some marvelous things with materials and such. I'm discounting the look. As a stand alone object measured against no other, it still looks plain to me. Just circular. Probably because it reminds me of GCHQ. In an A/B comparison, it looks even more pedestrian. Again, my opinion. Circular buildings that interest me architecturally:
The Al Dar HQ in Abu Dahbi

The Fang Yuan Bldg in China. I can't say for sure but it had to based on an ancient Chinese coin

The Shaybt Palace of Creativity in Kazakhstan. Appropriately enough also known as the dog bowl.

Again, just my opinion. Yours differs. It's totally okay for that to be the case.

Those are some amazing architectures. Abu Dahbi looks mind blowing. And here I thought my latest generation Best Buy store that opened was fascinating in my City. I need to travel more.

 

[MRrainer]

It's Steve's mausoleum. Plain and simple.
It's worthy of a pharaoh, given the size (and cost).

One thing is sure: nobody is going to top this, for a long, long time.
At least, as far as office-buildings are concerned.

 

[Mainyehc]

Apple Campus 2 is slated to house core engineering teams: iPhone hardware engineering, iOS engineering, Mac hardware engineering, and macOS engineering. Naturally, engineering management for those departments would join their respective groups.

[snip]

I can imagine that Riccio (SVP Hardware Engineering), Federighi (SVP Software Engineering), and Srouji (SVP Hardware Technologies) may have office space at both AC2 and Infinite Loop.

Thanks, Bart, that was very informative! Let's just hope that the decreased friction between engineering teams and the collaboration induced by the shape of the building outweighs any increased friction (and I don't mean “friction” in conflictual sense, but a logistic one) between the C-level executives and SVPs + engineering teams because of the distance between Infinite Loop/AC1 and AC2.

But if the current state of affairs is any indication… it will either make it worse, or stay the same. To this day, I still wonder how Steve, were he still alive and in good health, would [micro-]manage not one, but two campuses, because we can all safely assume he would still try to do just that. And judging by the way he managed both Apple and Pixar at the same time (though Pixar always was, arguably, much more independent from Steve's input), he might very well have succeeded…

As for Tim Cook… I didn't want to join the chorus and pile up on him as well, but it is readily apparent that he is most definitely not a product guy and has given a much freer rein to… well, everyone in the company, really, and it shows. :\

 

[Bart Kela]

Actually, Apple Campus 2 should help with collaboration and management oversight since several key departments will be under one roof whereas right now they are scattered in dozens and dozens of buildings (mostly Cupertino but all over west Santa Clara Valley). That was the main point of building AC2 from the beginning.

Here's how Apple described AC2 in its proposal to the City of Cupertino:

"The project replaces the current disjointed assemblage of aging corporate facilities with a single high performance office, research and development building, with supporting facilities."

And the two Primary Objectives:

• Create an innovative and beautiful campus near Apple’s Infinite Loop facility that consolidates up to 14,200 of Apple’s engineers and support personnel in a single distinctive office, research and development building with supporting facilities. The purpose of consolidation within a single building set in a secure landscape is to promote shared creativity and collaboration, and spur invention of the next several generations of Apple products.
• Achieve the security and privacy required for the invention of new products by eliminating any public access through the site, and protecting the perimeters against trespassers.

 

[Mainyehc]

It's Steve's mausoleum. Plain and simple.
It's worthy of a pharaoh, given the size (and cost).

One thing is sure: nobody is going to top this, for a long, long time.
At least, as far as office-buildings are concerned.

Do you know what I like the most about AC2? The fact that it is both understated *and* grand at the same time, while also featuring the absolute best materials and details, both on the exterior and interior. Architecturally, even though it is done in an entirely different style and volume configuration, I think it is tied with Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax HQ buildings or especially the more minimalistic Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building.
[doublepost=1485809898][/doublepost]

Actually, Apple Campus 2 should help with collaboration and management oversight since several key departments will be under one roof whereas right now they are scattered in dozens and dozens of buildings (mostly Cupertino but all over west Santa Clara Valley). That was the main point of building AC2 from the beginning.

Here's how Apple described AC2 in its proposal to the City of Cupertino:
[snip]

Yep, I still remember all of that from Steve's presentation(s) on the matter. Let's hope that it works out as promised. Also, seeing as there won't be any more interior design to make at AC2 once it's finished and the moving in is done (maybe just tweaks here and there whenever renovations are needed) and since Apple has only so many flagship stores, there are only so many flagship store-candidate cities and Apple only develops a new retail store design language every few years (certainly more than five, as far as I can remember…?), let's also hope that Jony gets a bit more free time to focus just (or mainly) on products again…

I must tell you: I've been at Apple Regent Street only a few days after the reopening and had been at Apple Frankfurt a few months before and at Apple SoHo in 2004, and I found them all to be equally impressive in their own ways, but… I'd still rather see more stuff coming out of that infamous “awesome” but clogged “pipeline” Tim keeps telling us about than renovations to stores that were already awesome (or knowing that Jony is spending a lot of time on those, considering that back when Apple had *less* hardware products lines Steve was just content with kind of outsourcing their design to Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, as he did with AC2 itself; maybe Jony was already working with Foster and Partners even during Steve's illness? He sure as hell didn't go around boasting about it and wasn't yet CDO, so… has he been replacing Steve in that regard because the interior design job [micromanagement] wasn't complete in time before he died, then?). And before any of you tell me that “stores aren't hardware products”, may I remind you all that everything Apple makes is considered and developed like a product, supposedly with the same degree of care (though currently we can argue about that, whereas before it was undisputable), including the Stores, AC2, their assembly line, Liam the disassembly robot and even Apple the company itself.

And I know that situation isn't specifically Tim's or Jony's fault, or because of Steve's passing, or because of the current office dispersion situation, or Tesla's apparent poaching of employees, or Scott Forstall's ousting, or… but I believe it's a combination of all of those factors and others we can only begin to speculate about. I do think that AC2 is a massive transition in many ways and, like all transitions Apple (successfully) made before, it has everything to end up being a good one. We shall see, soon…

 

[Bigsk8r]

No snark. Do people really care if a company is opening an office building?

As a former resident of Silicon Valley and unabashed Apple fanboy, I find this fascinating on a few different fronts. Most of all though, I don't think a 125+ acre complete erase and rebuild like this has been done on this scale and in this kind of area before. At least, I don't know of one.

Like Apple or not, this is exactly the kind of thing that it would be amazing to see large corporations do with a portion of their profits... build an environmentally and economically exceptional place to do business. Yes the upfront cost is anything but economical, but the end result for the community and for their employees is certainly amazing and paradigm shifting.

So yeah... I do care. I hope some others care for similar reasons.

 

[macbeta]

I get the feeling this explains why Apple's focus is elsewhere. They are all too busy fussing about what furnishing they can get in their new offices to worry about actual products; iMac, MacMini Mac Pro anyone?

 

[69Mustang]

As a former resident of Silicon Valley and unabashed Apple fanboy, I find this fascinating on a few different fronts. Most of all though, I don't think a 125+ acre complete erase and rebuild like this has been done on this scale and in this kind of area before. At least, I don't know of one.

Like Apple or not, this is exactly the kind of thing that it would be amazing to see large corporations do with a portion of their profits... build an environmentally and economically exceptional place to do business. Yes the upfront cost is anything but economical, but the end result for the community and for their employees is certainly amazing and paradigm shifting.

So yeah... I do care. I hope some others care for similar reasons.

Yeah, pretty much every answer I've received has been some variation of Apple fan + building engineering + a smidgen of Jobs. It's cool. For me the engineering is cool. I'm not an Apple fan (I'm a tech fan). Don't care about Jobs. The building just reminds me of GCHQ. I comment at #35 about some circular buildings that were more architecturally interesting to me. It's not a knock against this building. Far from it.

 

[J InTech82]

Can't wait to visit!
[doublepost=1485784677][/doublepost]One of my pet hates is circular structures that use flat sheets of glass. That's why I'm so happy that Apple went to the effort of installing curved glass on the circular structure. Sure, it's a more expensive option, but if you are making the effort to create something circular, you must follow through and complete it properly. It's called effort, and there's lots of effort here to be seen.

Big time. The fact that they had a special machine built just to install said curved glass is pretty spectacular!

 

[Mactendo]

It's fantastic. Looks so beautiful and tasteful. It's sad Steve didn't live to the day when it opens.

I hope when Cook leaves, a new visionary and charismatic leader will lead Apple into the brightest times they ever had.
[doublepost=1485829613][/doublepost]

I already mentioned there are other buildings when in comparison.

Clearly Apple Campus 2 is more beautiful than any of the other buildings shown in this thread. There're stunning buildings in the world but not these ones. I'm speaking about design. Maybe those mentioned here show an advanced engineering but from the aesthetic point of view they're just meh.

 

[Bigsk8r]

Yeah, pretty much every answer I've received has been some variation of Apple fan + building engineering + a smidgen of Jobs. It's cool. For me the engineering is cool. I'm not an Apple fan (I'm a tech fan). Don't care about Jobs. The building just reminds me of GCHQ. I comment at #35 about some circular buildings that were more architecturally interesting to me. It's not a knock against this building. Far from it.

I hear you. I like the GCHQ building as well. I think that the two sites are similar in utility value, but tailored to the needs of the areas they are in. In the case of AC2, they are basically restoring 70% of the land to something close to what it was before Silicon Valley took over. While I am no pure environmentalist, I do enjoy when modern needs can be met while maintaining some conservationist value.

Off topic... kudos to you. We have disagreed or seen different perspectives on a few things over the years without getting nasty or spiteful about it. Mature discussion... Thank you.

It's becoming more and more rare in my circles, and I fear that Rene Girard is going to be proven correct in the not too distant future.

 

[chosenscribe]

A pair of drone videos covering the construction progress of Apple Campus 2 have been posted online recently, providing interested viewers with an ongoing glimpse into the construction on the campus, which is nearing completion in several sections as February approaches.

In Duncan Sinfield's drone video, workers are seen installing rocks within the inner fountain of the main "Spaceship" building. After months of construction, the fountain finally saw noticeable progress in the first drone video update of 2017, earlier in January.

Although construction is nearing completion, canopies still remain uninstalled on the windows of certain sections of the main building to provide easy crane access for workers. Elsewhere on the campus, the research and development facility is also approaching completion, greenery continues to sprout up around the site, including now over the underground tunnels, and solar panel installation continues on the roof of the campus.

Matthew Roberts' drone video estimates that solar panel progress is around 70 percent complete, while noting that most of the site is still filled with water and mud from the storms that hit the area in previous weeks. Finishing touches around the campus include a paved parking lot for the front of the R&D building, lamps lining the sidewalk behind the same building, and walkways forming around the campus.

Since the garages are complete, workers have also begun to use the structures to park when arriving at the site each day. Roberts' video notes that finishing touches are being put on some of the Spaceship's canopies, while the last section -- where the cranes are in place -- will be raised into place. The large retractable doors on the main atrium section of the building are also said to be looking "as good as ever," following glass installation back in November.

Article Link: Apple Campus 2 Construction Continues as Walkways, Lamps, and Parking Lots Appear on Site

[doublepost=1487779419][/doublepost]I hope they open the new campus on my birthday April 8. That would be cool. It is quite a grand project on a huge scale.