Considering the store is made of glass, I'm sure iPhone reception will not be a problem.
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Glass Tower on Apple's New Shanghai Store Revealed
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Considering the store is made of glass, I'm sure iPhone reception will not be a problem.
The two are not mutually exclusive. This tower removed no resources from the rest of Apple.
I love it, I think it's beautiful, but maybe it's because it's past 1am here and I have a messed up sleep schedule, but I found myself chuckle-- because the first thing I thought was "here stands the small glassed in cage Apple wants you to be in", enjoy the beauty of our products, from within our small walled in glass garden.
Since we haven't actually seen any photos with the exception of the one aerial view, and the ground views almost without exception focus on the unveiling, we really don't know what the context of the glass cylinder is from ground level, or from the base, and we haven't actually seen any panoramas of the surroundings from the glass cylinder. Too early to make a judgement one way or the other would be my stance, and I surely will not be able to visit the site, so I have to rely on person in situ to provide a review.
Maybe it is "terrible", but again, your first impulse was to judge, then later defend that judgement.
This is specifically engineered by Apple to be just high enough so that you can jump off the top, but not actually die.
It's made of glass so that management can spot any potential jumpers from the inside, special access tubes allow management to quickly get to the roof and talk down an unhappy co-worker.
It's made of glass so that management can spot any potential jumpers from the inside, special access tubes allow management to quickly get to the roof and talk down an unhappy co-worker.
What sets apart Apple from everything else is its immense attention to detail. It's not about processor or how much RAM is in a Mac, it is the entire experience. That means the first time you step into the store, buy your Mac, turn it on for the first time, and start using it. Everything contributes a little bit to this experience.
This doesn't look that excessive to me. It's a glass cylinder with an underground store. It costs a little more, but Apple probably won't even feel the pinch. There is a common misconception that good design must be expensive. Look at IKEA. If its beautiful architecture is going to lure in potential customers (trust me, I'm Chinese and we're fascinated by these things), this will generate enough profit to break even in a few years.
Random couple of notes (I'm Lesh51, the crazy guy who took all those photos)
The ariel shot came from the top of - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Shanghai_oriental_pearl_tower.JPG
As you can see they hadn't quite finished taking off the covers even when I got up that tower. There appeared to be a team of 3 Apple photographes waiting with DSLR in hand to take their official shots for the website and whatnot, hence why they were probably taking down the "curtain"
The ariel shot came from the top of - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Shanghai_oriental_pearl_tower.JPG
As you can see they hadn't quite finished taking off the covers even when I got up that tower. There appeared to be a team of 3 Apple photographes waiting with DSLR in hand to take their official shots for the website and whatnot, hence why they were probably taking down the "curtain"
actually, the Chinese word is 浦东. And it's actually, unfortunately, pronounced as how you would say POO (as in DO), and how you would say DONG (as in LONG)
I'm loving it!
I'm curious as to why this is such a gut-wrenching surprise to so many people. I'm sure this wasn't cheap either:
http://www.bcj.com/public/projects/project/38.html
How can a glass cylinder, fitting its surroundings very well, be considered more ostentatious than that behemoth? Even more, how can some people act like the whole premise behind the new design is completely unheard of for Apple? Get a grip.
I'm curious as to why this is such a gut-wrenching surprise to so many people. I'm sure this wasn't cheap either:
http://www.bcj.com/public/projects/project/38.html
How can a glass cylinder, fitting its surroundings very well, be considered more ostentatious than that behemoth? Even more, how can some people act like the whole premise behind the new design is completely unheard of for Apple? Get a grip.
and the vietnam wall memorial is just slabs of marble along a walkway...
sometimes simplicity is a bolder more beautiful statement than 'originality'
I was in Lujiazui last weekend and happened across the site on my way to the new IFC shopping mall (the building just above the Apple store in the aerial shot). Within the context of the surrounding structures, the glass cylinder is neither ostentatious nor incongruous. As shown in the aerial shot, the entrance is set in the middle of an amphitheater-type space adjacent to the front entrance of a luxury shopping mall.
While the photos give an idea of the design, they do not give a sense of proportion in relation to the surrounding buildings, and I think this is an important detail. This is the financial heart of all of mainland China, and the small cylinder is absolutely dwarfed by two of China's tallest buildings: the Jin Mao and the Shanghai World Financial Center.
Considering the prevailing architectural environment, not only does the Apple Store not stand out, but it is quite low-key.
Actually, Ive been to the Ginza store, and while it looks ostentatious from that picture, when youre actually walking down the street, it only stands out if youre looking for it. It really blends in quite well with its surroundings, with only the big Apple logo being significantly different (and thats only enough to pick it out when youre looking for it).
Not that I think this new store is that ostentatious either, especially in light of the post immediately previous to mine.
jW
New York Times article about Apple's new Shanghai store
David Barboza wrote a one-page article about the new Apple Store in Shanghai:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/technology/09apple.html
I just thought people might enjoy reading this article.
David Barboza wrote a one-page article about the new Apple Store in Shanghai:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/technology/09apple.html
I just thought people might enjoy reading this article.
You certainly have the right to your opinion. However, this is where you see the difference between an architecture student and an architectural firm that probably got hundreds of millions of dollars to design the building to Apple's wishes.
Wow, now I'm truly flabbergasted . . . Lol, did I just say that?
First of all, its granite, and you cannot compare the Vietnam Veterans memorial to an Apple Store. There is so much more to the memorial than "slabs of marble." Have you ever looked at its location within context? It may look simple, but on further analysis its anything but that. On the other hand, this is an Apple store, nothing deeper.
Firms do not get anything NEAR that amount of money to design a building. Like I said before, as soon as the Apple symbol is placed on it, everything gets blown out of proportion. Just because I dislike something does not make me a student anyway. I know loads of architects that utterly dislike Frank Gehry. So that makes them students instead of architects with a stamp?