Flagship San Francisco Apple Store Approved by Planning Commission

[MacRumors]

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.

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

 

[andrew0122]

Talk about the best places to work!!!

I also like the idea that they have removed the Apple Logo from the front of the store...

 

[Dulcimer]

Two 44-foot sliding glass panels? That's pretty bold. Does that mean the store is open to the outside?

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

Heck, I'll visit just to see the giant sliding doors! Totally rad!

 

[hushypushy]

Two 44-foot sliding glass panels? That's pretty bold. Does that mean the store is open to the outside?

Well, how else would people get in? Most Apple Stores that I've been to (notably, excluding the ones in malls) open to the outside

 

[AngerDanger]

Time to train birds to swoop in and steal iPods!

 

[DeeGee48]

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!

 

[Dulcimer]

Well, how else would people get in? Most Apple Stores that I've been to (notably, excluding the ones in malls) open to the outside

I meant all of the time…

 

[Tankmaze]

I also like the idea that they have removed the Apple Logo from the front of the store...

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

 

[hushypushy]

I meant all of the time…

Well, it says "sliding glass panels" so one can assume they open and close

 

[brianb568]

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!

Already saw that at another apple store.

 

[ipedro]

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?

 

[entropys]

Open doors that size would generate one impressive A/C bill.
No doubt Apple already had its CO2 offsets/indulgences already sorted.

 

[Xenc]

What is this? An Apple store for ants?!

 

[mazz0]

Ah, not single prices of glass in the doors then. Oh well.

 

[gnasher729]

Open doors that size would generate one impressive A/C bill.
No doubt Apple already had its CO2 offsets/indulgences already sorted.

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.

 

[weckart]

When all is said and done it is just another glass and steel block.

 

[Macist]

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.

 

[luckydcxx]

Two 44-foot sliding glass panels? That's pretty bold. Does that mean the store is open to the outside?

I wonder if these doors are more the the $450k panels that make up 5th ave store in NYC

 

[Daalseth]

Open doors that size would generate one impressive A/C bill.
No doubt Apple already had its CO2 offsets/indulgences already sorted.

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.

 

[aukermania]

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.

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]

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.

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

 

[jayducharme]

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

 

[Michael73]

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

 

[uraniumwilly]

The real victory is they saved the fountain, and all the anti-art naysayers on this board lost: Apple made room for it.