The much anticipated reopening of the Fifth Avenue Apple store has finally arrived. Having been closed for more than two years for renovations, the tech giant has unveiled its newly refurbished venue. It is scheduled to open on Friday, September 20.
Edited by: JV Staff
Apple worked with Foster + Partners to reimagine the store, which is almost double the size of the old one that first opened in 2006. There are multiple features that make it feel more spacious and connected to the surrounding area, according to an article on the Curbed.com web site.
Curbed.com reported the new accoutrements that appear in the iconic cube outside of the store. They reported that inside the glass cube there is a glass-enclosed spiral staircase and a circular elevator lead downstairs. The curved ceilings inside of the store are constructed out of a semi-translucent fabric, allowing plenty of light to come in. There are several trees throughout the store, as well as a section of the wall that’s covered in plants, according to the report on the Curbed.com web site.
The ceiling has 62 skylights that measure the exterior color of the light entering the space and match it inside—and 18 of those lights act as chairs for public use in the exterior plaza, according to the Curbed.com report.
The plaza surrounding the cube has 28 trees, along with benches around them, and seating created from the structure of the interior skylights. Those round “skylenses” have a mirrored surface that reflects the sky and the buildings nearby during the day. At night, when the light inside the store is more dominant, they allow passersby to see inside the store.
Curbed.com reported that the idea was to give visitors a chance to interact with elements of the store, according to Rebekah Hieronymus, associate partner at Foster + Partners. Behling said making the surrounding area friendly for public use—with benches, trees, etc—was top of mind for the design team.
“In a city, take Manhattan, super high density—I’m going to give you a relatively big space for you to relax, think, calm down…I’m giving you a public space,” Behling said during a tour of the space. “That’s the idea behind it.”
There’s also a new Forum space that will host daily programming, and a section where visitors can experience the sound of different devices. The Genius area is also twice as big as in the last store. The store, just like the old one, will be open 24 hours a day, year-round.
