Archinect - News

Foster + Partners unveils latest Apple Store concept for Shanghai

2024-04-03T13:32:00-04:00

The latest Apple Store retail concept from Foster + Partners has been completed in Shanghai. The firm’s newest design for the company is located in Jing’an Park and forms the centerpiece of an urban regeneration that creates a permeable new connection between its site and the adjacent historic Jing’an Temple.

Stefan Behling, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, describes: “We are delighted to have been given this great responsibility to create this transformative project for Shanghai. Our design reimagines the original plaza as a vibrant new public space, which provides places to sit and relax, drawing people in and respectfully enhancing the setting for the beautiful Jing’an Temple.”

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Terraced seating placed on top of an elevated skywalk with gallery spaces gives the public a direct view of the Three Kingdoms era temple, framed by seasonal planting and Padang Light stone finishes that are repeated in the store’s walls and flooring.

Image courtesy Foste...

London’s Battersea Power Station hosts giant Christmas tree animation by artist David Hockney

2023-12-06T13:10:00-05:00

The world-renowned artist David Hockney has lit up London’s iconic Battersea Power Station with a giant installation resembling two Christmas trees. Titled ‘Bigger Christmas Trees’ and set on the station’s two north-facing 328-foot-tall chimneys, the animation will be on display from December 1st until Christmas Day, December 25th.

“Battersea Power Station is such a beautiful building, I wanted to decorate it in a way that I hoped would bring joy and hope to Londoners,” said Hockney about the scheme.

Image credit: Apple

The 10-minute animation was designed by Hockney on an iPad using a digital pencil; an appropriate method given that Battersea Power Station currently houses Apple’s UK headquarters.

In June, we reported on the opening of Foster + Partners’ Apple Store within the station, marking the company’s 40th store in the United Kingdom. Late last year, meanwhile, we covered a review of the newly completed WilkinsonEyre interior spaces in the station alongside a Frank Gehry-desig...

Archinect's Lexicon: "Spatial Computing"

2023-06-23T11:31:00-04:00

Archinect's Lexicon focuses on newly invented (or adopted) vocabulary within the architectural community. For this installment, we're featuring a term that recently found prominence with the unveiling of the new Apple Vision Pro device.

"Spatial computing" represents a fusion of diverse digital technologies that engage with physical spaces and their human inhabitants. This complex discipline involves merging real and virtual worlds, where digital systems and software function within three dimensions. It combines various technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI).

A significant example of spatial computing in action is Apple's newly-released Vision Pro spatial computer. This cutting-edge device allows users to interact with digital objects and information in their surrounding physical environment, thereby blurring the line between the physical and digital worlds. The term is also interlinked ...

Foster + Partners' newest Apple Store opens at Battersea Power Station in London

2023-06-21T18:24:00-04:00

Apple has officially opened the doors to its newest store in the UK, located at London’s iconic Battersea Power Station, which has undergone an extensive overhaul to convert the building from a former coal-fired power station to a high-end shopping, commercial and residential development.

The Foster + Partners-designed storefront is located on the first floor of the Battersea Power Station, which opened last fall, and marks Apple’s 40th store in the United Kingdom. The Station is also the site of the tech company’s new UK headquarters, which will house 3,000 employees in 500,000 square feet worth of office space.

Image courtesy Apple

As stated by Apple in a news release, the newly opened store was built with universal design principles with the aim of making it an inviting and accessible space. This is reflected through its access routes for wheelchair users, enhanced visual and acoustic clarity, expanded assisted listening systems, as well as its varied table and seating heights.

Image courtesy Apple

Additionally, the company says Apple Battersea is operationally carbon-neutral and runs entirely on renewable energy.

Apple unveils its ‘first spatial computer’ with Vision Pro

2023-06-07T12:24:00-04:00

Apple has publicly unveiled the Apple Vision Pro, which the company describes as a “revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world.” The device is set to be available for purchase in the U.S. early in 2024, with a starting price of $3,499.

Image credit: Apple

A series of demonstration videos released by Apple show users navigating through a three-dimensional interface using eyes, hands, and voice, with the Vision Pro’s “infinite canvas of apps” populating their surrounding environment. The headset device is powered by visionOS, which Apple describes as “the world’s first spatial operating system,” allowing users to “interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.”

Image credit: Apple

Product specs detailed by Apple include a high-resolution display system containing 23 million pixels across two displays, encased within an aluminum alloy frame. The device integrates 12 cameras, including Appl...

Apple's first flagship store in India, designed by Foster + Partners, opens to the public

2023-04-18T15:30:00-04:00

Apple’s first flagship store in India, designed by Foster + Partners, is now open. It is located in the Bandra Kurla Complex, a business and residential district in Mumbai.

Employing many design elements synonymous with Apple stores around the world, Apple BKC attempts to blur the boundaries between inside and outside: A 26-foot-tall glass façade highlights the double-height volume within and the outdoor areas. Greenery is invited into the store, with a row of ficus trees slotted along the inside of the glazing.

Image: Foster + Partners

The connection between the interior and exterior spaces is further emphasized by a hand-crafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade to the underside of the exterior canopy. The ceiling is made up of a triangular grid of 450,000 individual timber elements. Each of the 1,000 ceiling tiles is formed using 400 pieces of oak timber (reportedly sustainably sourced) arranged in a lattice woven pattern. This was inspired by the work of cane an...

Gensler’s Culver Crossings Apple campus proposal goes under the planning microscope in Culver City

2022-11-09T16:05:00-05:00

Apple, currently the world's most valuable company based on market capitalization, faces a key test in its bid to construct a new office campus in Southern California, when the project goes before the Culver City Planning Commission this week for consideration.

Gensler’s plans for the new 536,000-square-foot campus were first revealed last October and will reportedly entail office spaces, production suites, and a 1,200-spot parking structure spread across three subterranean levels beneath the 4.5-acre site at Venice and National Boulevards. The project will be constructed in two phases culminating in Q4 of 2024 and 2025, respectively. An environmental study from the city mentioned Apple’s intention to assign 2,400 employees to the site by the time the project opens in 2026.

Gensler has also previously completed designs for TikTok’s new headquarters in Culver City, the speculative C3 office development, and the transformation of the historic Culver Studios for Amazon. The firm’s late founder was considered instrumental in developing some of the initial brick-and-mortar retail strategy for Apple after meeting Steve Jobs at a design conference in the early 1990s.

Foster + Partners-designed Brompton Road Apple store debuts the tech giant's new focus on AR

2022-07-27T14:13:00-04:00

Foster + Partners’ design for the Brompton Road Apple store in London is ready for its debut tomorrow, showcasing the company’s renewed focus on AR and other consumer technologies in what is the latest in a long string of retail commissions between the British architect and the California tech giant.

Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

The design reuses a former arcade structure from 1903 in a way that invokes the form and function of the typology’s original role as an enclosed shopping district and social condenser. The store comes equipped with a suite of naturalistic elements, including a group of 12 welcoming Sicilian ficus trees, in addition to new bio-resin terrazzo wood floors, which intend to reflect the goals outlined by the company’s new green design mandates.

Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

As such, the store aims to run 100% on renewable energies. The new location also features Castagna stone finishings, depth-enhancing mirrors in the Forum area, and plent...

Architects can now add accurate sun positioning in real-time with Morpholio Trace's new 'Shadow Maker' tool

2022-03-22T08:00:00-04:00

Morpholio today launched another powerful tool inside its popular TracePro app that allows architects, designers, and landscape architects to "control the sun." Dubbed "Shadow Maker," the new in-app feature lets users add and adjust solar positioning within a project in real-time, providing an accurate and informative way for shadows to be generated within drawings.

Shadow Maker sun positioning in Morpholio TracePro. Image courtesy of Morpholio.

Since the introduction of their Trace app for the iPad in 2012, Morpholio has been positioning itself as a leader in software applications made for architects by architects. After launching several easy-to-use new tools for designers, their latest feature is "game-changing for designers" according to Toru Hasegawa, Morpholio Co-Founder. "Architects can now instantly overlay their model with accurate, geo-located shadows to set or sample sun patterns and immediately use their impact to draw, sketch or design."

According to Morpholio, Shadow ...

Form followed finance in 2021, for better and for worse

2021-12-25T09:00:00-05:00

2021 was a year where form continued to follow finance. Throughout the year, our coverage included many examples of the world’s largest architecture firms designing for some of the world’s largest companies. From sleek corporate headquarters to “work-and-play” tech campuses, such projects take on an added significance when searching for clues on the future of work and offices post-pandemic.

However, as we followed the money this year, we also took time to reflect on what lies in its wake. What are the social ramifications of large tech companies landing space-age campuses on areas already creaking from a lack of affordable housing? What does the growing proliferation of Amazon fulfillment centers mean for traditional retail typologies? What are the human consequences of placing the governance of civic space in private hands?

To further explore this point, we have rounded up the highlights of our 2021 coverage on the intersection between architecture and corporatism — for better and...

A homeless encampment is growing on Apple's future North San Jose campus

2021-08-10T17:56:00-04:00

A large homeless encampment is growing on the site Apple earmarked for its North San Jose campus, two years after Apple made waves with a $2.5 billion pledge to combat the Bay Area’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis.

Campers appear to have migrated from the nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport, which the city began clearing in late June at the urging of the FAA. Apple bought parts of the 55-acre site in North San Jose in early 2018 and currently holds no publicized plans for its development.

Nearly half of the U.S.'s homeless population lives in California alone. The state has been tragically unable to address the issue impactfully for the past two decades as rising home prices and a paucity of affordable housing are steadfastly combining to make matters worse. San Jose Spotlight has more on development issues at the site here.

Apple's restored Tower Theatre opens in Downtown LA thanks to Foster + Partners

2021-06-26T09:00:00-04:00

LA’s newest Apple Store is now up and running, showcasing a multimillion-dollar restoration project that brought an icon of cinema past to life in a push to stimulate post-pandemic business downtown with what promises to be the city’s latest tourist lure.

The Apple Tower Theatre officially opened this week after a three year overhaul brought the then-vacant landmark back to life.

Foster + Partners were behind the restoration effort aimed at converting the 94-year-old building into retail space CEO Tim Cook called a “testament to a city rich in culture and diversity” in a Twitter post on Thursday.

Today we opened the doors to our new store in downtown LA — Apple Tower Theatre. It’s a testament to a city rich in culture and diversity. We’re so excited to be a part of DTLA! pic.twitter.com/l4UQmZQ5x4
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 24, 2021

Piggybacking off a similar palazzo restoration recently in Rome, the firm worked with Apple and design director Doo Ho Lee to preserve elements of the...

Foster + Partners converts nineteenth-century palazzo into new Apple store in Rome

2021-06-01T18:18:00-04:00

Foster + Partners and Apple have collaborated to create a new Apple store that brings a nineteenth-century site back to life in Rome. Situated on Via del Corso, one of the most vibrant streets in the city, Apple Via Del Corso restores the Palazzo Marignoli, uncovering historic features and opening up a central courtyard.

The design of the store reveals the building’s compelling and multi-layered history by unveiling painted ceilings and frescoes from the 1890s juxtaposed with modern graffiti artworks from the 1950s.

Ettore Ballerini's Dusk was restored and integrated into the new store.

Stefan Behling, Head of Studio at Foster + Partners, said: “The joy of the project was to peel back and rediscover the layers of history throughout the building and revealing its eclectic past, which ranges from the historic painted ceilings and the frescoes by Fabio Cipolla, both from the 1890s, to the more recent graffiti artworks by Afro Basaldella. Palazzo Marignoli has seen so much throughout i...

Apple announces $1 billion North Carolina campus

2021-04-29T17:58:00-04:00

Apple announced plans Monday to open a new campus in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. Apple will spend over $1 billion on the campus, and it will employ 3,000 people working on technology including software engineering and machine learning. [...] Apple’s expansion will be located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area, which gets its name from nearby North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

While Apple's announcement this week boasted big numbers for its various expansion goals within the U.S. in general, and in North Carolina specifically, details on planning and design of the new campus in the Research Triangle area have not been revealed yet.

In 2019, the company broke ground on its new $1 billion, 3-million-square-foot campus in Austin, Texas.

Apple highlights Archinect in official rollout of MacOS Big Sur

2020-11-13T19:10:00-05:00

If you're an Apple user, you've probably been prompted to update your operating system to version 11 the latest OS release, dubbed "Big Sur." As a mostly Apple-based team here at Archinect HQ, we were pleasantly surprised to see Archinect highlighted on the welcome screen after the update.

As the world's most valuable company, and arguably one of the businesses that values design most significantly, we're quite chuffed to be in the company that Apple has curated.

The latest operating system introduced a newly updated UI, enhancements to Safari, Messages, Maps, and improved privacy. Check out everything new in Big Sur at this link.

Foster + Partner's new Apple Marina Bay Sands takes social media by storm

2020-08-31T17:17:00-04:00

Singapore's third Apple store to date, located at the Marina Bay Sands, has caught the public's eyes and has already made its presence on Instagram.

The floating, spherical structure sits near the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, designed by Safdie Architects. Designed by long-time Apple collaborator Foster + Partners, the orb-shaped, colorfully lit store has already received fanfare on social media outlets.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Majid Hussain™ | Singapore(@sgmajidhussain) on Aug 30, 2020 at 3:36am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by tony (@tonytitanium) on Aug 29, 2020 at 8:41am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yang シーヤン (@onepunchyang) on Aug 28, 2020 at 7:56am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rave (@rave.kpop) on Aug 28, 2020 at 4:51am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kelvin Heng | 王俊杰 (@kelv.li...

Foster + Partners' cylindrical Apple Central World opens in Bangkok

2020-08-20T11:55:00-04:00

A result of a close collaboration between Apple and Foster + Partners, and Architects 49 Ltd., Apple Central World in Bangkok welcomed its first visitors this month. The new store is located at the heart of Central World Square, one of the city's important urban centers.

The two-story cylindrical structure maintains a sculptural presence at the southern end of the Square. The entire facade is wrapped in two-story glazing and boasts a striking 80-foot-diameter. Within the building, a concave timber-clad vertical assembly anchors the store and holds its vertical circulation.

The centralized staircase is a series of helical turbine blades that cantilever from the wooden structure. Each tread is milled from solid blocks of stainless steel and is polished to provide an intense reflective quality.

Moreover, the 360-degree views around the store give it a unique connectedness to the exterior plaza with its subtle greenery and landscaping. The interior experience blends smoothly with that o...

Foster + Partners debuts seismically resistant Apple store in Beijing's Sanlitun district

2020-08-04T13:28:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has released photos of the firm's new Apple Sanlitun retail storefront in Beijing.

The store is located within a shopping and entertainment district in China's capital city that was originally home to Apple's first store in China back in 2008. The store was recently relocated to a new site by Foster + Partners, which has created a design meant to spark a "new dialogue with the surrounding pedestrian streets, addressing the large open square that is a social focus for the district."

Image courtesy of Chaoying Yang.

Remarking on the recently completed project, Stefan Behling, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners writes via press release, “Apple Sanlitun is all about being open and inviting – visually, physically and metaphorically. The store is a grand place that connects the inside and the outside.”

Image courtesy of Chaoying Yang.

The storefront's prominent site within key circulation nodes within the district prompted the architects to create a space that opens on mul...

Apple's Bay Area affordable housing initiatives begin to take shape

2020-07-14T14:32:00-04:00

As part of a $2.5 billion funding commitment made by computer and electronics giant Apple to help fund additional affordable housing initiatives, the company has allocated $400 million toward a series of first-time homebuyer and affordable housing efforts.

An announcement from Apple explains that the company has launched new affordable housing developments totaling 250 units in partnership with the Housing Trust Silicon Valley and other local nonprofit housing developers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A project undertaken with the Charities Housing Development Corporation project in San Jose, financed in partnership with Housing Trust Silicon Valley. Image courtesy of Apple.

In addition, the company will bring funding to a new mortgage and down payment assistance fund and to an affordable housing investment support program, both of which are created with the help of the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA).

Lastly, Apple is helping to fund new affordable housing construction...

Larry Tesler, creator of "cut," "copy," and "paste" computer functions, has passed away

2020-02-19T13:44:00-05:00

Larry Tesler, who passed away on Monday, might not be a household name like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but his contributions to making computers and mobile devices easier to use are the highlight of a long career influencing modern computing. ...Tesler worked with Tim Mott to create a word processor called Gypsy that is best known for coining the terms “cut,” “copy,” and “paste” when it comes to commands for removing, duplicating, or repositioning chunks of text.

After graduating with a degree in computer science from Stanford University, Tesler began working with the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1973 until 1980. PARC is most famously known for developing the graphical user interface we all use in computers today. From 1980 to 1997, Tesler worked at Apple Computer, helping to develop its products and innovations. In 2001, the computer scientist joined Amazon as VP of Shopping Experience and in 2005 transitioned to Yahoo to head its user experience and design group before he progressed to 23andMe as a product fellow in 2008 until 2009, Gizmodo reports.

From Archinect Features: Never Meant to Copy, Only to Surpass: Plagiarism Versus Innovation in Architectural Imitation

Tesler's contributions to personal computing and his legacy in technological innovation is an undeniable influence in our personal and professional computing pursuits.

Apple begins construction on $1 billion campus in Austin

2019-11-25T14:50:00-05:00

According to a recent press release, Apple has broken ground on its new $1 billion, 3-million-square-foot campus. The campus will initially house 5,000 employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000, and is expected to open in 2022.

Apple's growth in Austin is part of the company's nation wide expansion to increase its investment in manufacturing, engineering, and other jobs across the country. Apple is on track to contribute $350 billion to the US economy between 2018 and 2023, and during that time will hire an additional 20,000 employees, the company reports.

Apple has also partnered with Austin-based Bartlett Tree Experts in an effort to preserve the diversity of native trees on the 133-acre property. According to the organization, over 60 percent of the campus will consist of landscaping, which will include a "50-acre nature and wildlife preserve that will be open to the public."

According to reports, it is assumed that Studio8 Architects will be handling the design of the new c...

Apple and United Airlines may partner to renovate SFO terminal

2019-10-28T13:00:00-04:00

Parts of the current terminal look dated, and Apple, a modern technology giant known for sleek design, uses United as its corporate airline to shuttle thousands of employees around the world. United accidentally revealed last year that Apple spends $150 million annually with the company on flights, including 50 business class seats a day from San Francisco to Shanghai.

The talks, according to Bloomberg News, are in the early stages and the details regarding the types of upgrades that could come into being are currently unclear.

Linda Jojo, executive vice president at United Airlines Holdings Inc. told Bloomberg News, “The Apple team in San Francisco has been in our baggage hold areas, customer service and the lobbies,” adding, “I’m being deliberately vague.”

Inside Foster + Partners newly remodeled Fifth Avenue Apple Store

2019-09-26T13:38:00-04:00

"Now nearly double the size of its original version with a higher ceiling and more natural light, Apple Fifth Avenue is a brighter, more expansive space, and the perfect stage for customers to discover and try Apple’s newest products...It remains the only Apple retail location open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Apple reported in a recent press release.

The design was led by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Jony Ive. The team has introduced a number of new features and changes to the underground retail space. Known by it's iconic glass cube and suspended Apple logo, the newly renovated store sports a new stainless steel spiral staircase, 62 skylights that connect the underground space to the city above, a new area for classes, and of course, extended space to display the newest products.

Image courtesy of Foster + Partners

Additionally, the team chose to dig further into the base of the space to provide higher ceilings, creating a more expansive environment for visitors. Na...

Your phone may need some Midcentury Emojis

2019-09-05T18:15:00-04:00

Death by Modernism has created a collection of "Midcentury Emojis," especially for the design oriented user. "Given Apple's attention to design details in practically every aspect of their products, we've always felt like there was something missing when it came to the furniture emojis in iMessage," they write.

In response, the group "chose 12 pieces of iconic mid-century design and 'emoji-fied' them for the 21st century." So everything from Finnish designer Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair to creations by Charles and Ray Eames are present within the collection.

The collection can be downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Apple's Jony Ive to leave Apple and form independent design company

2019-06-27T17:58:00-04:00

Apple® today announced that Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, will depart the company as an employee later this year to form an independent design company which will count Apple among its primary clients. While he pursues personal projects, Ive in his new company will continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple.

Apple's long-running chief design office, Jony Ive, has announced plans to depart the company to open up his own design practice.

Ive, the designer behind the iMac, iPhone, and iPod, among many other products, is perhaps the most influential industrial designer of his generation.

Jony Ive and Tim Cook at the September 2018 launch of iPhone Xr. Image courtesy of Apple.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said, "Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care."

Cook added, "Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I’m happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working wit...

Dear Apple, what will you do next?

2018-12-27T20:22:00-05:00

Architecture, creativity, and community. These are the themes that best summarize Apple retail in 2018. Over the past year, Apple has worked in new ways to expand its global and local reach. The company has challenged the traditional definition of brick-and-mortar stores during an uncertain time for many retailers.

The multi-billion dollar company made moves this year with its heavy presence of retail stores through out the globe. From their new and newly remodeled stores every flagship highlights elements of accessibility, natural light, and energy efficient initiatives present. This year alone, nine brand new Apple stores were built across the globe. Each with a custom layout and a large focus on community, Apple's retail strategy is pushing the boundaries for what is possible for the global enterprise.

Apple Garosugil - Built January 27th, 2018

Apple Cotai Central - Built June 29th, 2018

Apple Champs-Élysées - Built November 18th, 2018

Through out the year Apple strived to transform its flagship stores to become more than just places to buy product. The goal of creating a sense of community through their retail spaces, Apple launched Today at Apple in 2017. The goal was to expand costumer reach and community awareness through Apple "sessions." These in-store, creative, educational sessions are...

An Apple town square? Stockholm says no, thank you

2018-11-01T14:31:00-04:00

Kungsträdgården is the most important park in Sweden, [...] It is the thread that pulls together the historical power of the monarchy with the commercial blocks of Hamngatan and the working-class districts of Södermalm. This is very important for democracy because it has to do with power, symbolically and spatially.

Stockholm, Sweden's beloved capitol is home to stunning landscapes that keep residence and visitors mesmerized. Its cobblestoned streets are lined with amazingly preserved buildings, beautiful open water views, and public spaces. Nestled in the heart of Stockholm is Kungsträdgården, one of the most treasured and valued parks in Sweden. Revered by its inhabitants, once word got out that Apple had plans to "transform" their beloved space by creating a "town square," the people of Stockholm made their voices heard.

We get it, Apple has already taken over our lives by transforming daily communication, productivity, etc. But, does Apple have the leverage to transform public spaces? Town squares are defined as open, public spaces located at the heart of a city. To a trillion-dollar tech company like Apple, their intention of redefining the relationship between public and private spaces is exactly what they are aiming for in build...

Morpholio Trace and Shapr3D launch new iOS 12 features to integrate 3D modeling and sketching for architects

2018-09-26T15:59:00-04:00

With Apple's recent release of its latest mobile operating system, iOS 12, we're now seeing new feature releases in a variety of apps. Two players in the world of architectural software, Morpholio Trace and Shapr3D, today announced a joint effort that promises to further bridge the divide between 3D modeling and sketching on the iPad Pro thanks to Apple’s Drag and Drop and the new universal 3D file type USDZ.

Credit: Jim Keen. Image courtesy of Morpholio.

Dubbed "Drag 'n' Fly", the new iOS 12 feature by Morpholio, a company that we've covered previously on Archinect, enables users to integrate live 3D models in Trace sketches, create infinite views, and draw over automatically generated perspective grids. Shapr3D models can now be exported directly to Trace via the new OBJ export, simplifying the switch between drawing and modeling.

Credit: Jim Keen. Image courtesy of Morpholio.

Morpholio Co-Founder Mark Collins explains the reason behind...

Foster + Partners designs Apple's new Cotai Central store, an urban “oasis of tranquility” in bustling Macau

2018-07-02T20:11:00-04:00

In their latest collaboration with Apple, Foster + Partners envisioned the tech giant's new retail store near Macau's Sands Cotai Central resort as a luminescent “paper lantern” that reveals a “tranquil oasis” inside. According to the design team, the store can offer a sense of calm and respite at the heart of bustling Cotai, a gambling and tourist hub.

Apple's Chief Design Officer Jonathan Ive and Senior VP of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts worked alongside Foster + Partners in designing the project.

Carved out from a dense bamboo grove, the cubic building features an external public event plaza and provides pedestrian connections from surrounding buildings. The store's structural frame is supported by three corner columns wrapped in mirrored stainless steel that reflect the colors and patterns of its glass-stone facade.

The interior space shows off shimmering stone panels and towering bamboo groves ...

Apple's impressive approach to architectural accessibility

2018-02-26T19:58:00-05:00

In our most recent episode of Archinect Sessions, we briefly discussed the (hilarious) news of people running into glass walls and dodging deadly icicles at Apple-designed buildings. It was also mentioned, however, that Apple is one of the few mega-corps that are truly pushing excellence in design, so it's understandable that innovation also comes with its fair share of failures.

Over the weekend Twitter user @xarph shared some photos of the impressive approach to (architectural) accessibility at Apple Park Visitor's Center, the publicly accessible component of Apple's new campus.

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