Dezeen and MINI World Tour: Colin Seah of Ministry of Design shows us examples of how Singapore is responding to the challenge of housing a growing population without sacrificing its green spaces in our second movie from the city.
“It has been a perennial issue,” says Seah. “How do you house five to seven million people on an island that would fit into Lake Geneva?”
“The government could have just said: ‘let’s not control it, let’s have sprawl and have more people living in houses’. But the strategy instead was to protect public spaces and green areas.”
The Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore, by Arc Studio
Seah takes us to three of his favourite architectural projects around the city, which each tackle the challenge in different ways.
The first is The Pinnacle@Duxton by Singapore architects Arc Studio, a vast public housing complex comprising seven 50-storey tower blocks connected by large bridges and a sky garden at the top.
The Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore, by Arc Studio
“It’s amazing because on the same piece of land that housed 150 houses [they have built] up to six or seven times the number of family units,” says Seah.
The Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore, by Arc Studio
“The top level is open to the public, because it is public housing after all. You have a 360 degree panorama of Singapore.”
Next Seah takes us to The Interlace, a new private housing development designed by former OMA partner Ole Scheeren, who has since set up his own studio.
“Instead of having these tall vertical towers, they broke them down to horizontal towers,” says Seah of the complex, which comprises 31 six-storey blocks stacked diagonally on top of each other.
The blocks are arranged around large hexagonal communal courtyards, while the roofs of the lower blocks provide smaller gardens for the blocks stacked on top of them.
Finally, Seah takes us to Marina Barrage, a dam designed to control the water coming in and out of Marina Bay and prevent flooding in low lying areas of the city. The machinery that operates the dam is housed in a large building alongside, which features a public park on its gradually sloping roof.
Marina Barrage, Singapore
“Instead of being a utilitarian building, there was a really fantastic agenda to infuse it with a public, park-like quality,” says Seah.
“On the weekends and evenings it’s incredibly popular with families. So for a building that just houses machines, it becomes this living space.”
Roof of Marina Barrage, Singapore
Seah concludes: “The government has been very clever to balance the need for density with more ample public space that people can share collectively.”
Exposed brick walls and a large bookshelf are on show through the glazed facade of this ground-floor apartment in Montreal by Canadian designer Anne Sophie Goneau (+ slideshow).
Anne Sophie Goneau began the renovation by stripping the apartment back to its structure, revealing raw brick walls and steel I-beams, then designed an open-plan layout with a bedroom on side and a bathroom at the back.
“The concept was to highlight the raw materials discovered during the demolition, in order to communicate their material, their relief and colour environment,” explained Goneau.
A kitchen runs along one side of the space. Glossy black cabinets, surfaces and appliances flank the exposed red brickwork, while a contrasting white counter is positioned in front.
“The open kitchen is the focal point of the space; it unfolds on the dining room and living room,” said Goneau.
A floor-to-ceiling glass partition separates the kitchen and dining area from the main bedroom, which residents can choose to screen with curtains.
A full-height bookshelf is positioned in front of this bedroom, forming the backdrop of a living room that is also furnished with a large green sofa and a pair of reclaimed wooden armchairs.
A timber-lined corridor leads to a second bedroom and bathroom towards the rear. The bathroom is divided into sections; on one side the bathtub and steel sink are surrounded by white walls, while the adjacent shower and toilet are contained behind dark-tinted glass for privacy.
The project is the design of a 1,280 square feet condo located on the ground floor of a triplex in Montreal. The mandate was to divide each living area in order to maximise while maintaining the architectural integrity of the existing location, each room with natural light.
The concept was to highlight the raw materials, discovered during the demolition (brick wall, wall hemlock and steel structure), in order to communicate their material, their relief and colour environment.
Upon entering the hall is semi-closed hall, so that it has an overview of the condo. The open kitchen is the focal point of the space; it unfolds on the dining room and living room, where the master bedroom fits.
It is bounded by a glass wall which preserves the view of the bare brick; an archaeological reminder wanting to highlight the existing raw materials as an exhibitor showcase. A green velvet sofa, two vintage chairs and a bookshelf that leans against the bedroom wall bound the living room.
On the ground, a radiant hot water heating system was installed under a concrete slab which was covered by a light grey epoxy and polyurethane matt finish to replicate the natural colour of concrete. The primary and secondary bedrooms, as well as the bathroom, are glossy white epoxy to distinguish the private area of the common space.
The steel beam, flameproof, delimits the passage area. In the corridor leading to the bathroom, a light-emitting diode was installed in the recessed ceiling for a more intimate setting, which features the original hemlock wall.
Tone on tone, glossy black kitchen cabinets and electrical appliances are blended. The cooktop with integrated sub-hood, allows maximum exposure of brick wall, the backsplash, lit by a light-emitting diode recessed in counter.
The dining table becomes the visual continuity of the kitchen island. In the bathroom, custom-made stainless steel countertop and bath rectilinear shapes are stacked on each other, forming a sculptural composition. On the floor, a white epoxy and in the shower a dark grey epoxy were applied.
The contrast between these two colours form a psychological boundary of two areas: one is clear and bright, the other, darker, creating a private area for the shower and toilet. The window allows natural light in the room while preserving the intimacy of the space, with a frosted film.
Project name: Espace St-Denis Description: Design of a condo, storefront Design: Anne Sophie Goneau Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Date: 2013
Competition: Dezeen has teamed up with publishers nai010 to give readers the chance to win a copy of a book full of innovative projects designed in the Netherlands over the past year.
Dutch Design Yearbook 2013 is a compilation of exemplary projects designed by Dutch creatives or completed in the Netherlands. The volume is published annually to coincide with Dutch Design Week, taking place from 19 to 27 October this year.
Images of architecture, interiors, installations, products and fashion design are accompanied by text in both Dutch and English.
To enter this competition email your name, age, gender, occupation, and delivery address and telephone number to competitions@dezeen.com with “Dutch Design Yearbook 2013” in the subject line. We won’t pass your information on to anyone else; we just want to know a little about our readers. Read our privacy policy here.
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Competition closes 14 November 2013. Five winners will be selected at random and notified by email. Winners’ names will be published in a future edition of our Dezeen Mail newsletter and at the top of this page. Dezeen competitions are international and entries are accepted from readers in any country.
Giant paintbrushes hold up the splattered ceiling of this conceptual restaurant by Polish designer Karina Wiciak (+ slideshow).
Wiciak, of design studio Wamhouse, created the fantasy interior as the tenth of 12 bars and restaurants that each have a different theme.
Titled Pracownia, meaning workshop in Polish, this design is modelled on a painter’s studio and includes surfaces and furniture decorated with paint splashes.
The structural columns look like oversized paintbrushes, plus glass table tops and pendant lights are shaped like palettes.
Table bases, lamps and seats are formed from buckets, with lounge chairs created from large upturned pales and bar stools made from smaller ones. A bucket is also used as the bowl of a toilet.
Pracownia is the tenth project of the collection XII, designed entirely by Karina Wiciak
The restaurant is called “Pracownia” (which in Polish means “workshop”), because it was designed as a light pastiche of a painter’s studio. The most characteristic features of the interior are colourful blobs, because almost the entire interior of the “Papiernia” has been splashed with paint, from floor through furniture to the ceiling. It was not designed to be youth interior in the pop-art style, but to be modern, elegant restaurant. That is why, beyond the blots, the white and silver metal finish dominates.
To the topic of painting studio, some other design elements have been matched. Structural columns resemble enlarged paint brushes. Glass, pendant lamps and table tops have a shape of palette.
A bucket (of course a paint bucket) is present both in the design of tables, chairs and pendant lamps. Brush ends (sticking out of a bucket placed in the table) are used instead of the usual candles or table lamps.
Since the whole interior is designed like a painter’s studio, also the toilets cannot deviate from the topic. Therefore, the design of compact toilet bowl and sink also uses a form of bucket, and the counter top and mirror are mounted on a large easel.
A black steel staircase links the six storeys of this townhouse in Tel Aviv by Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem (+ slideshow).
Pitsou Kedem designed the house for a family and added a private terrace and swimming pool on the rooftop.
“The owners wanted to create the experience of life in a private residence, but within the city,” said architect Pitsou Kedem. “The authentic urban skyline reveals Tel Aviv’s rooftops to those in the courtyard and thus realises the urban experience that the owners wanted to achieve.”
All but one of the house’s floors opens out onto a balcony or terrace.
A penthouse with sliding glass doors leads out to the roof deck and swimming pool, which are encased behind a clear glass balustrade.
The fourth floor contains a study, small living space and a spa. A combined kitchen and living room occupies the floor below and is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.
The parents of the family have an entire floor to themselves, with an en-suite bathroom and extensive closet space, while two more bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the level below, and belong to the children.
A guest suite consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and living space can be found on the ground floor and opens out to a small enclosed terrace.
The black steel staircase ascends through the rear corner of the house, beside a grey silicate-block wall. Exposed timber floors and wooden panelling also feature throughout.
A 270 square metre plot was used as the foundation for a Tel Aviv town house consisting of a basement and an additional 6 floors. The owners wanted to create the experience of life in a private residence but within the city.
The architect Pitsou Kedem designed an urban style courtyard on the roof and, as a result, reversed the usually, permanent, order of things. The authentic, urban skyline reveals to those in the courtyard, Tel Aviv’s rooftops and thus realises the urban experience that the owners wanted to achieve.
The architectural design was based on a cross section of the structure whilst creating a physical and visual relationship between all the floors. Each floor encompasses an area of some 100 square meters with every floor being used for a different purpose. This enables the house’s residents to create common meeting spaces alongside separated spaces that, together, maximise the usage off the space and maximise the privacy that day to day life in a home requires.
Thus, the design incorporates a separate floor for the parents living area which includes a large library, a floor devoted to children’s rooms, a common living floor and the upper floor for the pool. Wooden paneling is used around openings on the ground floor and is also used to disguise the entrance hall and a separate living unit.
The home’s internal stairwell is designed as a dramatic, vertical line. In contrast to the stairwell common in most apartment buildings which is usually designed to be hidden from view, in this design the stairwell is open and runs along a wall covered with grey silicate blocks.
Architects: Pitsou Kedem Architects Design team: Pitsou Kedem, Hagar Tzvi, Hila Sela Location: Tel Aviv Size: 610 square metres Plot size: 260 sqm Total floor area: 450 sqm Design & build : 2009-2012 Program: Single family house
Product news: industrial designer Jean-Sébastien Lagrange has created this lamp from interlocking sections of Tyvek.
Lagrange‘s lampshade is made of repeated strips of Tyvek, a synthetic paper-like material.
The lamp’s structure is entirely made by folding sections of the material. These are fastened together with two colourful rings – a small one at the top and a larger one around the base.
Made from repeated lightweight pieces, the lamp can be shipped flat and assembled by anyone.
A hotel comprising four prefabricated fibreglass tubes has opened near the top of Europe’s highest peak (+ slideshow).
Named LEAPrus 3912, the complex is designed by LEAPfactory, a team of Italian architects who specialise in designing accommodation for extreme environments and who previously constructed a survival unit atop a mountain in the Alps.
The hotel is located on the southern side of Mount Elbrus, a dormant volcano with an altitude of 5642 metres in Caucasus, Russia, and it offers accommodation for up to 49 mountain climbers.
Communal bedrooms and lounge areas are contained within two of the tubes, while a third houses a restaurant and staff accommodation. Toilets and showers are located within a smaller fourth block.
All four bunkers were prefabricated in Italy using a composite sandwich of resin and fibreglass. They were then airlifted to the site in pieces and assembled by a team of technicians.
The architects integrated various technologies into the structures to make efficient use of energy and to recycle available resources.
These include a system that melts snow to supply water for sanitation, a hybrid system that produces electricity and a sewage treatment plant.
“The activity of LEAPfactory is centred on the continued search for and the realisation of innovative solutions in response to the problems of creating infrastructures in the natural environment,” said the designers.
The hotel opened to the public in September and is operated by the North Caucasus Mountain Club. It is the first phase in a series of planned projects intended to encourage tourism in the region.
Photography is by the architects.
Here’s a project description from LEAPfactory:
LEAPrus 3912 is the name of the new Eco-Hotel located on the southern side of Mount Elbrus, at 4.000 metres in altitude: completed by Italian firm LEAPfactory in September 2013 it is now already open to the public.
Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in Europe, and is one of the Seven Summits, the circuit of the highest mountains in each of the seven continents. It is located at the centre of the Northern range in the Russian Caucasus, halfway between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Mt Elbrus is a dormant volcano, characterised by twin summits of 5642 and 5621 metres, dominating all the mountains in the area, the lowest of which is at least 1000 metres. Its environmental and climatic conditions are known for their extreme severity.
The installation of LEAPrus 3912 was developed on behalf of the North Caucasus Mountain Club, a Russian company which is responsible for the development of tourism of the mountainous region in the North of the Russian Caucasus; LEAPrus 3912 is the first stage in the complete reorganisation of hospitality on Mount Elbrus. The entire region has a great potential for tourism: the vastness of the unique natural landscapes and the ancient troubled history of its peoples are the centrepiece of a great potential interest.
The complex is situated on the normal ascent route of the mountain, on the immense southern glacier, a few hundred metres from the historic refuge Priut 11, destroyed by fire in the 1990s and never rebuilt.
The new station accommodation is structured with four completely prefabricated buildings. The modular structures were designed and manufactured in Italy by LEAPfactory, and then transported to Russia. The installation on the slopes of the Mount Elbrus took place in a few days in July; the modules were transported by helicopter and assembled by a team of highly trained technicians from the company.
In the first days of September, after the final set-up of the technological systems the Eco-Hotel has been opened for activities.
LEAPrus 3912 in brief » altitude: 4.000 metres above sea level » 49 beds, living area, restaurant with kitchen, toilets, reception and staff accommodation » 3 separate LEAPs1 units, with synthetic composite shells » 2 newly designed s2 type units, with natural composite shells, in which the toilets, the biological depurifier and the sophisticated technological systems are housed » timing for the project realisation: 10 months in total, just 20 days after positioning “in situ” before the opening to the public
The structures of the new alpine station are made with durable materials of the highest quality, using cutting-edge technologies in the field of environmental sustainability.
Getting the best possible performance in terms of energy efficiency and home comfort was the main goal along with the achievement of maximum self-sufficiency of the new settlement on the highest mountain in Europe.
» the high efficiency structural shells contribute to the dramatic reduction of the energy requirement which supplies lighting, heating and indoor air treatment, hot water and a system for monitoring and remote management of all devices » a stand-alone hybrid system for the production of energy, with high efficiency and integration of the various sources used, with an innovative park for the ecological accumulation of sodium » a specific internal air circulation system with heat recovery » LED lighting » underfloor heating designed to work at very low outdoor temperatures » a system for melting of snow for the supply of water to the sanitation services » a sewage treatment plant (LEAPecoR) specifically designed to work at high altitude that permits the centre to almost completely overcome the dispersion of organic pollutants into the environment » the whole system is regulated and controlled, also remotely via satellite, facilitating effective management of the structure throughout the year
The interiors and the architectural design of the units are unique in the panorama of buildings at high altitude: there is a close visual relationship with the surrounding landscape, they have elegance, functionality and durability – and are carefully designed to provide users with real comfort. The Italian company that designs and manufactures modular prefabricated buildings with minimal environmental impact, LEAPfactory has realised already the successful of Nuova Capanna Gervasutti (Mont Blanc, Courmayeur, 2011). The activity of LEAPfactory is centred on the continued search for and the realisation of innovative solutions in response to the problems of creating infrastructures in the natural environment.
Main Technical Partners: ACTIS, CICLES, CLEAF, FIAMM, GEMAP, GERFLOR, GIOCOsolution, GP Tecno, GVM arreda, HOVAL, LCM group, NAYLcomposite, NDA nova design automazioni, NORDCOMPENSATI, SALT, VABER
Leap on site equipe: Alberto Altavilla, Gabriele Basile, Saverio Crocco, Emanuele Foglia, Giorgio Garzena, Luciano Pisu, Stefano Quaranta, Andrea Sasso, Paolo Sasso, Alessandro Simeoni, Roberto Toffanin, Luca Tomatis
An exhibition exploring the latest digital design and manufacturing processes opens today at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design.
Untitled (5), 2008, by Richard Dupont
The exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) features more than 120 examples of sculpture, jewellery, fashion and furniture that demonstrate different uses for computer-assisted production methods.
Twisted Dump Truck (Counterclockwise, Scale model 1:5), 2011, by Wim Delvoye
Some new works produced specially for the exhibition will also be presented, including a 4.5-metre-tall digitally-scanned mask of artist Richard Dupont.
“From sculptural fantasy to functional beauty to conceptual idiosyncrasies, the works of art in Out of Hand, all created in the past decade, demonstrate an explosive, unprecedented scope of artistic expression,” said curator Ronald T. Labaco.
Liquid Glacial “Smoke” Coffee Table, 2012, by Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher. Image is by Jacapo Spilimbergo
In keeping with the Museum of Arts and Design’s curatorial policy there is a focus on experimental uses of materials and technologies in art and industry, rather than products designed for the mass market.
“The cross-disciplinary nature of the work and the exploration of seemingly disparate themes and concepts allows for boundless creativity,” Labaco added. “The exhibition puts these pioneering works in dialogue, highlighting at once their vast diversity and the trends and ideas that connect them.”
Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to try out technologies including computer-aided modelling software and 3D printers, while designers-in-residence will be on hand to demonstrate some of the processes.
Lacquered Paper-Objects, 2012, by Nendo. Image is by Masayuki Hayashi
Clone Chair, 2005, by Julian Mayor. Image is by Julian Mayor and Topaz Leung.
Here are some more details about the exhibition from the Museum of Arts and Design:
Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital
Exploring the latest trends in digital fabrication, Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital at the Museum of Arts and Design is the first in-depth survey dedicated to exploring the impact of computer-assisted methods of production on contemporary art, architecture, and design. Opening in October, this landmark exhibition brings together more than 120 works of sculpture, jewelry, fashion, and furniture by 85 artists, architects, and designers from 20 countries to examine how new technologies are pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and creation. The cutting-edge works highlighted in the exhibition demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between art and technological innovation as well as materials and new techniques—an area of exploration that has long been at the core of MAD’s mission and curatorial program.
Brain Wave Sofa, 2010, by Lucas Maassen and Unfold
To mark the launch of MAD’s new holiday hours, visitors are invited for a sneak peek of the exhibition on Columbus Day, October 14. The completed exhibition will be on view October 16, 2013, through July 6, 2014.
Organized by Ronald T. Labaco, MAD’s Marcia Docter Curator, the exhibition features new and recent work from 2005 to the present, including commissions created especially for Out of Hand and objects never presented before in the U.S. by such artists, architects, and designers as Barry X Ball, Bespoke Innovations, Wim Delvoye, Richard Dupont, Zaha Hadid, Anish Kapoor, Joris Laarman, Daniel Libeskind, Maya Lin, Greg Lynn, Lucas Maassen, Jürgen Mayer- Hermann, Achim Menges, Marc Newson, Nike, Alan McCollum, Roxy Paine, Frank Stella, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Unfold, among many others. Two large-scale sculptures—a fifteen-foot- high digitally scanned mask of artist Richard Dupont’s face, and a towering abstraction of wrestling figures created through digital milling techniques by Michael Rees—will activate the space outside the Museum on Columbus Circle and serve as an introduction to the exhibition.
Bust of Lady Belhaven (after Samuel Joseph), 2011, by Stephen Jones and Made by .MGX by Materialise. Image is by Kent Pell, Courtesy of Phillips de Pury and Company
“The compelling works in Out of Hand expand audience understanding of the ways artists and designers from around the world are utilizing these new technologies to extend their artistic practice, revealing how these innovations are also transforming practices in manufacturing, healthcare, and other fields not readily associated with the contemporary art world,” said David McFadden, MAD’s William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator. “By examining these trends through the lens of artistic expression, MAD is opening up a dialogue on the significance of digital technologies to our larger culture and global society.”
Building on MAD’s practice of making the artistic process accessible in the gallery spaces, audience participation plays a central role in the exhibition. The Museum’s second floor will be equipped with 3D printers, modeling software, and computer monitors, allowing visitors to experiment with the technologies explored in the show. Designers-in-residence working in the gallery will demonstrate various digital techniques and fabrication tools used to create objects like those in the exhibition, and a range of special workshops, public and educational programs that provide visitors with hands-on opportunities to deepen their engagement with 3D software and hardware throughout the exhibition’s run. Also integrated into the installation are video clips that explain individual artistic practices and the divergent approaches toward incorporating digital fabrication in the creative process. Additionally, a number of the featured works include interactive components.
Rapid Racer, 2011, by Andreas Schulz , Barbara Kotte, Johannes Zäuner, Rebecca Wilting, and Nicolas Eggert. Image is by Johannes Roloff
The exhibition is conceptually organized around six themes, which provide a framework for navigating the diverse range of artwork on view and reflect aesthetic trends and artistic approaches:
In Modeling Nature biological and ecological phenomena serve as a point of departure for artistic creativity;
New Geometries explores how mathematical formulae are applied to create intricate three-dimensional patterns and geometric forms large and small;
Rebooting Revivals reveals how creators use computer-assisted production to reference or appropriate notable historical art works and decorative styles;
Digital manipulation is also used to reconceptualize human figuration and the body in Remixing the Figure;
Works in Pattern as Structure incorporate movement, sound, light, and other sensory elements to create immersive art forms that activate the gallery space;
Processuality documents how the act of making plays a vital role in the creation and presentation of works that reveal the limitless possibilities of these emerging technologies.
“From sculptural fantasy to functional beauty to conceptual idiosyncrasies, the works of art in Out of Hand, all created in the past decade, demonstrate an explosive, unprecedented scope of artistic expression,” said Curator Ronald T. Labaco. “The cross-disciplinary nature of the work and the exploration of seemingly disparate themes and concepts allows for boundless creativity. The exhibition puts these pioneering works in dialogue, highlighting at once their vast diversity and the trends and ideas that connect them.”
Hyphae Lamps, 2011, by Nervous System. Image is by Jessica Rosenkrantz
To provide audiences with the full sweep of innovation in this rapidly growing field, the exhibition includes objects created through purely digital fabrication techniques alongside works that combine traditional handcrafted processes with these new methods.
News: a Sydney company has launched a book delivery service that employs flying robots instead of postmen, and declared that “commercial drones are going to become as ubiquitous as aeroplanes” (+ movie).
Sydney startup Flirtey has teamed up with text book rental service Zookal to use hexacopters – robots with six rotors – to deliver study materials. The service aims to reduce postal costs and avoid the problem of missed deliveries by tracking the location of the recipient’s mobile phone.
“Flirtey is the world’s first unmanned aerial vehicle delivery technology,” says Flirtey co-founder Matthew Sweeney in a movie about the initiative (top). “We’re taking technology that was previously only available to the military and universities, democratising it and commercialising it so that anybody can order any goods or services and have them flown straight to their smartphone.”
“Currently in Australia same-day delivery by post cost eight to 20 [Australian] dollars,” he continues. “By Flirtey it will cost a fraction of that and the consumer won’t have to cover it because it will be included in the marketing budget of the companies that we partner with.”
Books are ordered using a smartphone app, then Zookal packages them before they’re flown to the customer’s phone rather than their address.
“Commercial drones are going to become as ubiquitous as aeroplanes in the sky are right now,” said Flirtey co-founder and Zookal CEO Ahmed Haider.
Six battery-powered rotors control flight, which can continue even when one isn’t working. “We’ve built the Flirtey as a hexacopter, so it can lose any one rotor and still fly, and can lose any one battery and still fly,” said Sweeney.
Haider mentions another safety feature: “When the Flirtey arrives to its location it levitates above the location and lowers the parcel to the consumer. If there is anyone that pulls it a little too hard the parcel comes off, keeping the Flirtey safe and ready to go.”
Sweeney explains that the civil aviation authority in Australia was one of the first in the world to legalise commercial flights by unmanned aerial vehicles, adding that the USA isn’t due to follow until 2015.
This gives the startup the opportunity to hone the technology over the next few years, ready to export worldwide.
News: here are images of Foster + Partners‘ latest design for the new $5bn Apple Campus 2, which was unanimously approved by Cupertino City Council last night (+ slideshow)
Commissioned by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the 260,000 square-metre building, by British firm Foster + Partners, will take the form of a gigantic glass-and-steel hoop when completed in 2016. Parkland will both surround the building and fill its hollow centre.
“Steve [Jobs] transformed Apple into one of the most innovative companies in the world and we understand the responsibilities that come from carrying his legacy forward with this project,” Apple’s head of real estate and facilities Dan Whisenhunt told the city council in a planning meeting last night. “We’ve designed it with the same care and attention to detail as we do with all Apple products.”
After six hours of debate, the entire council voted in favour of the project. The decision is final, pending a ten-day period for appeal, and will be formally announced on 15 November.
The approval follows an identical decision from members of the city’s planning commission, who voted on the proposals earlier this month after consultation with members of the local community.
The Apple Campus 2 is set to be completed by 2016 and will be located a few blocks away from Apple’s existing headquarters. It will accommodate up to 13,000 employees, providing office, research and development facilities alonngside a company fitness centre, a 1000-seat auditorium and a private park for staff.
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