This year, Apple will put almost 12,000 of its employees to a new office Apple Park, which is made in the form of a space ship. For the construction of the new headquarters it took more than $5 billion, and in total involved around 13 000 contractors. This is one of the last major projects worked on Steve jobs, the founder of the “Apple” of the Empire. In the edition of RB gathered some interesting details about Apple Park.
1. The first of the contractors have left the project
Initially the project was to engage a company Skanska USA and DPR Construction, but they left it as soon as work began. Quite rare for a project of this scale. Perhaps they did not like excessive control by Apple.
2. Crazy attention to detail
From the main Apple building area of 260 000 sq. m. will not hang around any wires or pipes. This means that the campus will also be easy to repair and change the lineup from Apple. No vent or pipe should not be reflected in glass cladding of the campus.
iPhone sold in neat white boxes, on which no fingerprints or traces of dirt. With the same precision and perfection will be built and Apple campus. For example, the panels used for the decoration of its ceiling, polished with both external and internal parties. “Just like the headphone Jack in the iPhone,” says the Reuters journalist Julia Love.
3. Apple Park looks cool, but it is not too functional
The main building is shaped like a ring, so if you are on one side and want to get to another, then most likely will go through the street.
“They are not trying to maximize the productivity of office space, and want to create a symbolic center of the company,’ said Louisa, Mozingo, head of the Department of landscape architecture and environmental planning University of California at Berkeley. For them the main thing — to create an image”.
4. The building is decorated with the world’s largest number of curved glass
On the exterior of the main building, Apple Park will take about six kilometers of curved glass.
5. The project documentation was highly detailed
It even shows the recommendations for use of specific types of wood. In total there are 30 pages.
6. All done in the style iPhone
Architect Herman De La Torre, who worked on the design of the campus, said that Apple’s design is in the building everywhere — even in toilets.
According to him, the majority of proportions — for example, the degree of bending all of the rounded corners of the building — taken from Apple products. Some workers have noticed that Elevator buttons like the Home button of the iPhone, as the former Manager said that the elegant design of the toilet is reminiscent of the phone itself.
7. In doorways, no thresholds
Apple Park has no thresholds. Initially, the builders were against the idea, but the company said that it is a prerequisite. She explained to him that doesn’t want the engineers were distracted from work while walking (though not clear exactly how the Apple engineers can work on the go).
8. Design signs and labels was approved only after 15 meetings
Apple wanted all the signs in the Apple Park was designed in a minimalist style, but, according to the rules of fire safety, they had to be clear and easily readable. Dirk Mattern, a representative of the fire brigade of the County of Santa Clara, announced that he had to attend 15 meetings about the signs and plaques in the new Apple campus.
9. On the design of the door handles left more than a year
One of the contractors said that after a half year of work the company has not adopted the design of the door handles. Apple representatives claimed that you can see all the proposed designs some flaws, although by all accounts they were executed flawlessly. It is still unknown, whether now approved some of the designs of the handles or not.
10. The construction of the Apple headquarters is a real art
All workers wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and scuffs on the materials we work with.
“This is comparable to the picture which cannot be touched, said Brett Davis, the regional Director of the Union of artists, who worked with Apple. — Believe me, this building will be something to see”.
