Good points, but I was thinking Apple should open a place up in one of those old places instead of the Federation Square.
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Apple's Planned Flagship Store in Melbourne, Australia Faces Backlash From City Council Over its Design
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Good points, but I was thinking Apple should open a place up in one of those old places instead of the Federation Square.
Typical Greens and other lefties opposing anything from the corporate sector.
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According to a vocal minority of 75,000 people, far, far from the a significant percentage of even the Monday-Friday workforce in Melbourne.
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According to a vocal minority of 75,000 people, far, far from the a significant percentage of even the Monday-Friday workforce in Melbourne.
Aw, c'mon. You know if Apple got the go ahead from Paris city hall, they'd enclose the base of the Eiffel Tower & put a hideous glowing Apple logo at the top... public outcry & desecrating a piece of history/art/culture be damned. In my opinion, personally.
That’s completely untrue. The aboriginal & heritage community within this building have been planning for some time to relocate into the main body of the buildings within Fed Square. Apple's planned building is the aftermath of this decision, not the cause of it - Apple IS NOT pushing them out or forcing anyone to move.
Demolishing this building is going to do wonders for Fed Square as it will open up much or most of the south side of the square, showing the Yarra, the boathouses and park land in that direction. This is a terrific initiative. And am happy Apple is playing a big part in this.
This redevelopment and new Apple Store construction WILL happen. So get ready for many a photo taken at the site over the next few years. Going to be a welcome addition to what is, in my opinion, an ugly mismatch of bad exterior paneling, making much of the square look like a bad attempt at creating something out of the Star Trek borg planet...
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This. What they have at the site right now looks like the aftermath of a missile strike, or a gigantic industrial accident.
They should move the pagoda store to Sydney, which has a much more Asian character anyway.
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No offense intended to the people who live and work there, but that Google Maps view is not very flattering. The Apple proposal is odd looking but it does sort of fit right in with the prevailing color scheme and angular buildings already there. Hard to tell without seeing it in person.
Lol...don’t mind me, though, I want to see a Renaissance Fair themed shopping plaza.
I see a lovely building, a modernist take on a Japanese pagoda. I truly don't see what Melbourne is upset about. They didn't just bus in a bunch of Kiwis there, did they? More provincial people?
Would be difficult thing to accomplish since there is 4,000 kilometres of water between New Zealand and Australia.
Come on, that isn't remotely true. If the store was being built anywhere else, like for example in a commercial or retail space intended for exactly this purpose, this wouldn't be an issue and nobody would be complaining.
But Apple, convinced that their for-profit retail store was somehow in the public interest, chose to build a store within a space intended for public use. They used their clout to somehow convince a state government to approve the plans for a commercial / retail store in a public space, without due public consultation, and blocked the release of concept plans to the public. Of course it's facing opposition, and from multiple sides of the political fence, I'm sure.
It's a business strategy, and perhaps a sound one at that, but it's still retail. That store is ultimately there to move product. That's where I imagine the people of Melbourne take issue with it. There are suitable locations for this purpose, and it's debatable whether Federation Square should be one of them. It's compounded by the fact that the public never had the opportunity to have that debate.
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I have to admit, part of the issue here *IS* Apple's design. I would vote to request a new design, strictly on the grounds that I sure wouldn't want Apple to put stores that look like this in the US. Come on, Apple. What happened to your design aesthetic? I'm appreciating the "glass cube" more all the time.
Ok, fine, I'm starting to get more used to it now - especially if the brass hat rim is actually made of some supernatural, exotic material never before used in a building. But seriously, I agree with the posts that say surely Apple can design something better. Maybe for inspiration, they could start with photos of existing Apple stores and pick out the coolest ones for initial ideas. It will be interesting to see where they put the 40+ foot television in a building where all 4 walls are glass.
The design is perfectly all right. It's in the wrong place. It doesn't harmonize with the other buildings in that very particular square. After seeing the video, and what people seem to make of this, I understand completely. Can't say I'm a big fan of the architecture there already, if you like it, so be it. How did Apple understand that they could put a store there? I'd say you should ask some questions of your city council or other officials. Would it bring some cash to the square? It seems like all non-commercial buildings, except for 7-Eleven. All questions of style of Apple Stores are answered by Angela Ahrens.
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It didn't come out of the blue. There were preliminary discussions, and somebody asked them to show a design.
Wow, I'm going on a limb here, but I actually think that building looks alright, the all-glass, minimalist style reflecting the casual Australian lifestyle, with the huge overhangs (which could perhaps be thinned somewhat) being practical in preventing hot Aussie daytime sun hitting the glass. Perhaps making the building round, like their new campus' auditorium would quell some of the local opposition.
Besides, those gorgeous older buildings Apple has so successfully transformed in major European cities might look out of place there, imho.
Besides, those gorgeous older buildings Apple has so successfully transformed in major European cities might look out of place there, imho.
I agree, still if enough people don't want it for whatever reason, it'll be hard for Apple to go forward with such designs.
FYI, here is an image of 7 eleven. It's completely discrete and fits within the original architecture. The Apple store is a complete monstrosity in comparison
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The 'building' in that photo is the very definition of a monstrosity, a large, grossly malformed, unsightly structure. I see no beauty in it. Rather than invite me in, it repels me in horror. It's as if someone looked at the tin shacks of Nepal after an earthquake or in Haiti after a hurricane, and decided it was a good idea to reproduce them on a larger scale and randomly add some misshapen windows of discarded glass. That's just my subjective opinion.
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The 'building' in that photo is the very definition of a monstrosity, a large, grossly malformed, unsightly structure. I see no beauty in it. Rather than invite me in, it repels me in horror. It's as if someone looked at the tin shacks of Nepal after an earthquake or in Haiti after a hurricane, and decided it was a good idea to reproduce them on a larger scale and randomly add some misshapen windows of discarded glass. That's just my subjective opinion.
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Well, you clearly don't watch Australian Open tennis every year like I do. Based on the tennis players that seem to drop like flies in Melbourne's 100 Fahrenheit/38 Celsius heat... No, you wouldn't want to build the equivalent of a hothouse/greenhouse in a sunny public square. Would an unshaded glass cube work well in Desert Hot Springs, where you live?
Yeah, Apple loves lots of glass, but if the climate requires that the glass be well-shaded, then that's what they'll have to do. Just take a look at the photos of Apple Park. Same pagoda-like deep eaves. Could it be that, ornamentation aside, the design of pagodas is practical in nature?
As to the rest of the controversy? It's completely predictable. To some, change of any sort is unwelcome. To others, it's a matter of sticking a finger in the eye of the foreign invader. It wouldn't matter whether it was the embassy of an totalitarian communist, colonial, or fascist government, or a retail shop for a giant multinational, either the right or left is going to be agitated. A design that might be moderately disliked had it been proposed for a museum or university becomes a target of hatred if the occupant is unwelcome.
And yeah, that awful, awful Apple logo. You'd think the symbol was a dagger dripping with blood or a black swastika/hammer and sickle on a red background, instead of a blandly white piece of fruit with a bite taken from it. Still, I'm sure at least one cartoonist has drawn Snow White's wicked witch with an Apple logo in her hand.
Well,whatever. It's easy to feel really small in our grossly over-populated world. When an opportunity arises to make some sort of an impact, any impact, people will try. Hell, look at what's goes on here in this discussion forum! Should it be any different out in the real world?
While most local construction/building/development laws are rooted in public safety and attempts to rein in urban chaos, the public has given itself a say over how things look, too. Give 'em all a break. Apple will get what it wants - a highly visible store in a densely-trafficed tourist district, and the locals will get their chance to push Apple around a bit before the final deal is done. Just ask the people of San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
I don't understand my country. People hated Fed square when it opened, now people are defending knocking a building down for an Apple store. It's a building that really doesn't get much traffic, as its up the back of the square. This building will bring more people in, more local business for the coffee shops. Good for tourists that need to check an email.
Such a short-sighted country.
Such a short-sighted country.
Doesn't the Australian constitution have a standing invitation for New Zealand to merge with Australia or something to that effect?
Maybe Apple should just drop the plans and goto another town......Make the Melbornians travel to Geelong or Adelaide.
It's either zoned for commercial and/or retail, or it's not. If there is a current commercial building occupying that space, as others have mentioned, then that "open space, green space, public cultural space" barrier has long been breached already.
Did someone not say earlier that the occupants of the existing building is an aboriginal cultural centre. He did also say they planned to move to another location but that does not make it commercial.
Actually, your claim is full of assumptions. Respectfully you've got it all wrong. And a lot of what you've typed sounds like parts of Apple's press release. There is already lots of access to the Yarra river. Just Google Map it to see that fact. Certainly don't need to demolish a building to make improvements.
The Koorie Heritage Trust moved into the Federation Square area in 2015, at a cost of $2.1 million. The group didn't relocate with a plan to stay for two years and then move on again. The group planned to stay in the building for at least 10 years. Any other such suggestion lacks logic.
APPLE is attempting to move the Koorie Heritage Trust on and demolish prized architecture. It's absolutely disgusting moving an indigenous cultural group on to make way for a cash register.
It's not happening. If you keep up with news, there are some many parties opposing the plans, the best plan is for Apple to either withdraw quietly or suffer a great and damaging campaign the likes that haven't been seen before. Those Melbourne people don't seem to accept rubbish proposals. And good on them all. We should be seeing more of this.
That's the whole point about the design. The facade is unique. It's an architectural masterpiece that has won many awards. You should learn more about your own city before advocating for a destructive takeover. Theres a million other places Apple could set up in that city.
Apple should reign in its aggressive push to dominate people and places. It's really sad.
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Respectfully, you don't know much about the space. It's a civic and cultural public space. It's not a business district for corporatised activities. There are other places for those activities outside the public space.
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75,000 signatures is greatly significant for that size of city.
Please read more before typing more. A creation of a "civic and cultural precinct". It is now a "Melbourne icon".
NOT APPLE'S PLAYGROUND.
http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/project/federation-square/
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I would love see the demographics of those who submitted objections.
[doublepost=1518066180][/doublepost]Such a short-sighted idealistic minority.