Is it a spaceship? Is it the lair of a superhero? Nope! It's the new Singapore Apple Store!
Apple and Foster + Partners They have been working together for more than a decade and creating spectacular stores around the world.
From the famous Apple Store on the Champs-Élysées –located inside a 19th century apartment block– to the incredible glass cube on Fifth Avenue in New York going through the Piazza Liberty amphitheater in Milan or the incredible Dubai Mall, incredible flagship stores that are an experience in themselves.
Your last opening? Apple Marina Bay Sands, a floating sphere on the waters of Marina Bay in Singapore.
148 employees speaking 23 languages are ready to welcome customers
THE MOST AMBITIOUS APPLE STORE
This Thursday, September 10, Apple has inaugurated its first store built directly on the water: Apple Marina Bay Sands.
This new Apple Store, designed, of course, by Foster + Partners, It is the third Apple store in Singapore –after Apple Orchard Road and Apple Jewel Changi Airport– and aims to provide a different and captivating way to visit this emblematic place in Singapore.
It is a completely self-sustaining building that is made up of 114 pieces of glass with only 10 narrow vertical mullions that give structural cohesion.
Apple Marina Bay Sands, which offers 360 degree panoramic views of the city , is now ready to welcome customers with the same rigorous security measures that protect customers and employees at other Apple Stores, such as the mandatory use of a mask, temperature controls and social distance.
This is the first Apple Store built directly on water
AN OCULUS INSPIRED BY THE PANTHEON
One of the most striking elements is the oculus at the top of the dome, which lets in a beam of light that travels through space and is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.
“We are very excited to open this amazing store in Singapore. Apple Marina Bay Sands is the culmination of our commitment to this city, which began more than 40 years ago," said Deirdre O'Brien, Senior Vice President of Retail and People at Apple.
“Our enthusiastic and talented employees are ready to welcome a new community to the store. and offer them the level of care and dedication that our clients from the rest of the world already know,” she continued.
The interior of the glass dome, 30 meters in diameter, is covered with exclusive deflectors whose designs allow counteracting the angles of sunlight to achieve an effect of night lighting.
The trees inside the dome let the greenery of the city of Singapore enter the store and its leaves provide new shades of shadows.
By day, the glass panels reflect the outside environment and the water while at night, the store will become an impressive luminous sphere of hypnotic colours.
The oculus at the top of the dome is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome
A TUNNEL, A DOME AND AN UNDERWATER PLANT
And if it is surrounded by water on all sides, How do we get to this spectacular Apple Store? Through an underwater tunnel! Although there is also a platform that connects it with the promenade of the bay.
Once inside, we find the main space, an open plan area sheltered by the dome where customers can view a selection of Apple products and accessories, receive technical assistance from the Geniuses or simply enjoy the magnificent views of Marina Bay.
The Forum, for its part, is presided over by a Video Wall that will be the setting for Today at Apple sessions starring artists, musicians and creators from Singapore.
The Forum will soon host Today at Apple sessions starring Singaporean artists, musicians and creators
Additionally, entrepreneurs and developers interested in training and advice can meet with Apple employees at the first Boardroom located below the water level, on the lowest floor of the store.
The Apple Marina Bay Sands team is made up of 148 people who speak no less than 23 languages and to be able to visit the store during its inauguration, on September 10, it was essential to have an appointment and respect the established time slots.
Another amazing and innovative project from the Cupertino company, although we are sure that they have many more surprises on their hands...
Customers can discover select Apple products and accessories or receive personal technical support from the Geniuses