With their innovative and spectacular design, Apple's offices are a true architectural feat. First imagined by Steve Jobs himself, the design was entrusted to the British firm Foster + Partners. From then on, the biggest challenge was to reconcile the spherical shape of the gigantic main building with the materials used in its construction. So, what does it look liketo furnish the offices of one of the world's most powerful companies? Let's head for Cupertino, California, and take a behind-the-scenes look at Apple's oversized world.
Key figures for Apple Park
Covering an area of 70 hectares, the new Apple Park has replaced the Infinite Loop campus since April 2017. This monumental construction project, which began in November 2013, took almost three and a half years to complete. Far more imposing than the old headquarters, this new HQ is easily recognized from the sky. Its impressive dimensions even surpass those of the main Pentagon building, affirming the economic power of the Apple company on American soil.
This is also reflected in the budget allocated to its construction, which will have cost no less than five billion dollars. By way of comparison, this cost is higher than that of the new World Trade Center, "modestly" estimated at three billion dollars. But what do you get for such a budget? A gigantic four-storey circular building with a circumference of 1.5 km and a total surface area of 260,000 m2 for Apple's offices. Dubbed the "Ring", or more affectionately the "Donut" by the company's employees, its daily capacity is between 12,000 and 15,000 people.
The infrastructure of Apple's new campus
It was Steve Jobs who first conceived the idea for this circular shape, whose purpose is toencourage workers to constantly meet, collaborate andcome up with new ideas. With its futuristic appearance, it reflects the image of the company that occupies it, always placing innovation at the heart of its priorities. Its shape has also been compared to that of a spaceship, recalling the visionary, forward-looking personality of its former CEO. Steve Jobs, who passed away in 2011, was unfortunately unable to attend either the start of construction or the inauguration.
However, another building has been named in his honor: the Steve Jobs Theater. Built outside the "Ring", this 1,000-seat auditorium is designed to welcome the public and press prior to the launch of Apple's new products. It is strategically located at the top of the highest hill in Apple Park, offering visitors a breathtaking view of the Santa Clara Valley. Its 50-meter-diameter cylindrical entrance, surrounded by six-meter-high glass walls, is the most spectacular part of the auditorium. It is one of the few facilities on campus that can be visited by the public.
However, Apple's offices are not limited to these two iconic buildings. The 70-hectare site also includes :
- a 10,000m2 fitness center reserved exclusively for employees ;
- an open-air jogging course, built to encircle the main building;
- an immense natural park including: meadows, an orchard with apricot trees, a pond and almost 9000 trees;
- a private medical center ;
- an 11,000-space parking lot, with the same number of charging stations for electric vehicles.
A campus with a futuristic design aligned with the values of its time
Right from the design phase, another priority was included in the project guidelines:energy autonomy and carbon neutrality by 2020. To achieve this, the main building was designed to incorporate solar panels all along its roof. These currently cover 85% of the company's electricity needs. In this respect too, the Apple company has thought big, as this gigantic installation is one of the largest on-site solar power plants in the world.
Apple's offices in the "Ring" are themselves highly energy-efficient. The building incorporates a natural ventilation system, eliminating the need for heating and air conditioning for nine months of the year. At present, the building is 100% autonomous, and is not even connected to the electricity grid.
Although Apple Park has a very large parking lot, car travel is banned on campus. Instead, bicycles and electric carts are available to employees throughout the park.
To complete the picture, the site incorporates a state-of-the-art recycling system for used digital objects. Every day, robots dismantle and recycle old smartphones, extracting rare metals and reusing them in the manufacture of new products.
What do we know about the interior design of Apple's offices?
In the final analysis, very little. And for good reason: Apple is well known for fiercely defending its "cult of secrecy", to which the company and its executives remain very attached. Thus, there is no question of the public entering the Apple offices located in the main spherical building. However, some information has managed to penetrate the glass walls.
It's the same one that can be seen from the outside: the omnipresence of glass walls, both inside and out. A real headache for architects, they underline the idea of continuity, of an infinite world without borders. Steve Jobs himself spoke of the desire to "erase the boundary between inside and outside", to give the impression of entering a universe where anything is possible.
In terms ofoffice layout and design, Apple has opted for a very uncluttered look, in the image of its products. The color white predominates from floor to ceiling, once again reminding us of the company's futuristic, almost science-fiction look. There are no less than nine open-spaces inside the "Ring", all with sober but resolutely designer furnishings. In the "Caffé Macs", the gigantic campus cafeteria, long wooden tables stretch out on either side, ready to welcome employees for a balanced meal "down to the calorie". As with most interior layouts, this choice is designed to encourage communication, the sharing of ideas and synergy between all workers.
Although it's not possible to visit every building in Apple Park, there is a public reception area within the park. Taking up the architectural codes of the main building, it offers a good overview ofApple's office layout. Adorned with high glass walls and a carbon-fiber roof, the same design can be found on the floors, stone walls and staircases. And for those wishing to get closer to Apple's closed world, the building boasts a panoramic terrace offering a unique view of the fortress.