Apple Used Giant Panes of Glass to Build New SoHo Staircase

[MacRumors]

Last year, Apple unveiled a new, streamline Fifth Avenue cube that reduced the number of glass panes from 90 to 15. This year, Apple Retail revamped the SoHo store with an extensive expansion into space once occupied by a United States Post Office.

Along with adding more sales space, Apple's architects redesigned the famous glass staircase. Apple first unveiled the glass staircase design at the SoHo location in 2002, a design that has made its way to dozens of high-profile stores.

With the SoHo redesign, Apple has done to the iconic staircase what it did to the Fifth Avenue Cube. Instead of stitching three pieces of glass together to make the sides of the staircase, Apple has built a 30-foot long, zig-zagging single pane of glass. The sides are made out of 5 single sheets of glass laminated together.

Core77 has a number of other photos of the new staircase that are worth exploring.

Article Link: Apple Used Giant Panes of Glass to Build New SoHo Staircase

 

[antster94]

Lol imagine that in a microsoft store hurr

 

[scharf10]

Details.

 

[Sixtafoua]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

 

[peteullo]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

All comes from the pursuit of perfection embedded in this company by Steve Jobs. The stairs didn't have seams because they knew it would have seams. Just like how Paul Jobs taught Steve to paint the other side of the fence even though no one would see it. The whole idea is that you know it's there.

 

[akb]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

It means Apple's insane attention to detail is intact, even though Steve is gone.

That's great news.

 

[electrovir]

That must've been one heck of an installation process!

 

[LimeiBook86]

Wow, I can't even imagine the replacement process if a piece had to be fixed. But I'm sure they're pretty heavy duty.

The SoHo store is great, I haven't been there since they've opened, but I've always liked the little theater setup they had inside.

 

[ixodes]

Apple must have a glass fetish.

Glass stores, glass phones, it's time to get a bit more creative.

Either that, or secretly they've bought the Windex company.....ha..ha...ha....

All this glass is getting old.

 

[hobo.hopkins]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

Of course it isn't the most effective way to spend their money. If they only acted in ways that were perceived as "most effective" their track record would look more like RIM or Microsoft of late. They have a culture of paying attention to even the smallest detail - I hope this continues.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

They bother me.

The arts are very much a worthwhile thing for Apple to spend money on, in and of themselves.

If you must justify the cost though, notice the fact that Apple doing it generated a little bit of news. I, and many others like me, will probably spend a few extra seconds in the store to examine the staircase a bit more than otherwise. In doing so, I increase the odds of my deciding to buy something while I'm there.

Now something Apple really needs to improve are their bathrooms... I was extraordinarily disappointed by how much it looked like a gas station bathroom at my Apple store. I'm not saying it was dirty... it was just so... boxy. It was a box with a toilet and a sink. The dimensions were all wrong. The lighting was horrid. I felt like going to a bathroom elsewhere rather than staying in the store's bathroom.

 

[fattywall]

It's a pity about the silver fasteners on the steps though, I wonder if it could all be laser cut from one large piece of glass?... just a thought apple.

 

[seamer]

Is this similar to the stuff they used in China to make all the up-skirt shots? Never been to SoHo.

 

[LaWally]

"Apple has built ...". Nope. Apple only designs, others build for them.

 

[Mal]

Now something Apple really needs to improve are their bathrooms... I was extraordinarily disappointed by how much it looked like a gas station bathroom at my Apple store. I'm not saying it was dirty... it was just so... boxy. It was a box with a toilet and a sink. The dimensions were all wrong. The lighting was horrid. I felt like going to a bathroom elsewhere rather than staying in the store's bathroom.

Huh. I've only been to the mall stores, where there isn't a bathroom in the Apple Store itself. I'd expect those to be nicer, but maybe there's some constraints that keep them from really improving it much.

jW

 

[kazmac]

the glass staircases - don't like them

The glass stair case is the element I can't stand about 5th Avenue. I always feel like I'm going to fall down as I descend, so I wait for the elevator unless they have the temporary carpet installed on the steps.

 

[nick_elt]

Come on Samsung, copy this!

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Honestly - still feel the older cube store looked better with more smaller panes than it does today. Especially during the night. Now, the building no longer blends into ambient structures, yet does not visually stand alone, either.

I've always wondered how well these stores / stairs would fare during a moderate earthquake or fire.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Reminds me of Tesla

Tesla invented an "earthquake machine" (the name he gave), and oscilator that would find the objects resonance frequency to shake it appart. His claim was that he could bring down any bridge with it (and the Mythbusters showed that the principle works). These stairs would be the ideal test subject. Alternatively, ask an Operette star to sing up the ladder?

 

[tbrinkma]

Tesla invented an "earthquake machine" (the name he gave), and oscilator that would find the objects resonance frequency to shake it appart. His claim was that he could bring down any bridge with it (and the Mythbusters showed that the principle works). These stairs would be the ideal test subject. Alternatively, ask an Operette star to sing up the ladder?

I know it's a joke, but the Operette star would have to be one *heck* of a bass, because the resonant frequency of that staircase is very likely going to be *sub-sonic*.

 

[Jason Garza]

Good design is never a waste of time or money. As a child my elementary school was renovated and given what was a very modern design for the time. I can remember sitting there stairing at the angles of the walls and how they met the ceiling. The lights with there mate finished steal were so beautiful in there simplicity. You never know those stairs may inspire the next Jonathan Ive.

 

[Spit-fire]

And this matters....

...why exactly?

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.

When I was shopping for a fridge, I had to have stainless steel, even though it was more expensive. And when I found one that had tons of LED lights that faded on when you opened the doors...I HAD TO HAVE IT. It was $400 more than I wanted to spend, but 2 years later, I still love opening that fridge...every time. Once perfection is defined, some people gotta have it.

 

[Mad-B-One]

I know it's a joke, but the Operette star would have to be one *heck* of a bass, because the resonant frequency of that staircase is very likely going to be *sub-sonic*.

you can double the frequency a couple of times for the same effect though. That is why a sound one octave up or down will "match" - or resonate - with the first tone. It might require more energy though.

----------

And this matters... ...why exactly?

Because we like estatics. It's not major news anyways: second page.

 

[unplugme71]

I wonder what kind of testing was done for safety.

It seems as if either side cracked, it would bring down the entire staircase.