Apple Park Visitor Center opens to the public, providing panoramic views of futuristic HQ
– Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners
Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of Apple’s futuristic new US$5bn (€4.18bn, £3.7bn) HQ can now get closer than ever before, with the opening of a new visitor centre overlooking Foster + Partner’s vaunted doughnut-shaped design.
Designed as “an exclusive public gateway to Apple Park”, the centre opened to the public last week along Tantau Avenue in Cupertino, California.
With Foster + Partners again on design duties, the building is formed of a transparent envelope situated below a cantilevering carbon-fibre roof, which hosts an expansive terrace offering a panoramic view of Apple Park and the surrounding landscape of olive groves and drought-resistant trees.
Inside, softly-lit timber has been added to create an inviting warmth, while the full-height glazing dematerialises the building volume. Visitors are greeted with a large-scale model of the centre's high-profile neighbour, which is seemingly suspended in mid-air and can be brought to life by augmented reality technology.
Other amenities include an Apple shop and a café with outdoor seating areas.
Several elements from the main building are replicated to give people a taste of the precision detailing at Apple Park. The design of the staircases is inspired by similar ones next door, clad with the same quartz stone, and the countertop at the café is made with the same marble as the HQ’s main restaurant.
The main draw is the rooftop terrace, located 23ft (7m) above the ground and shaded by a delicate screen of thin, curved carbon-fibre fins.
“The idea was to create a delicate pavilion where visitors can enjoy the same material palette and meticulous detailing seen in the Ring Building in a relaxed setting, against the backdrop of Apple Park,” said Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners.
The HQ, which will house 13,000 Apple employees at peak capacity, welcomed its first occupants in April.
The design is intended to change staff behaviour, putting all who work there under one roof to “create the idea factory that will create future generations of Apple products for years to come.”
Facilities include a 100,000sq ft (9,300sq m) gym, two miles of running and walking paths and a 1,000 seat theatre named after company co-founder Steve Jobs, who died shortly after presenting the plans for the campus in 2011. His successor as CEO, Tim Cook, recently launched Apple’s iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X from the stage.
Apple Apple Park Apple Park Visitor Center Foster and Partners




BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities

Orient Express returns to Italy after 46 years with six trains designed by Dimorestudio and new Rome hotel

400-year-old mineral spring will power Preidlhof’s €2m medicinal bath experience

Universal Beijing Resort reveals expansion plans for second phase

Pop-up stadium built with shipping containers opens ahead of 2022 World Cup

Playfulness will inspire Serenbe’s new wellness community, Spela

John McAslan + Partners-designed M7 cultural hub and museum opens in Doha

LPO Architects and GrecoDeco create vast subterranean wellness retreat for Oslo

Herzog and de Meuron’s M+ museum of visual culture distils essence of Hong Kong
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates