Image: Nigel Young
After more than a year’s work the wraps have been taken off the Apple’s flagship store in Regent Street which has been designed by Foster & Partners to provide an “uncluttered” and calm look.
The 11,000 sq ft store, which was Apple’s first retail outlet in Europe when it first opened in 2004, had been completely shut since June.
The shop has been painted in a palette of neutral white, grey and natural oak colours and is planted with trees “to create a calm environment for an enhanced shopping experience”, says the architect.
The new store occupies the same building, with the Grade II listed historic facade now restored and preserved. Characteristic of the new Apple flagships, the interior space is a 7.2 metre double-height grand hall – forming a “town square”-like space that is flexible and welcoming. The design enhances transparency from the street and floods the store with natural light, dramatically improving the visual connection between the two levels.
Images: Nigel Young
The interior front facade, with its full height arches clad in Portland stone, can be appreciated in its full extent. The store also features the longest luminous ceiling panels in the world that cover the entire ceiling. The custom-made lighting panels emit a pure, even, white light, and have the capability to absorb ambient noise.
Stefan Behling, architect at Foster + Partners, said: “The new Apple Regent Street is about a respectful dialogue between old and new – carrying forward a heritage of craftsmanship in a contemporary way. Contained within its historic fabric is a new grand ‘town square’ with trees that bring nature into the interior spaces.
“Everything from the vast luminous ceiling to the sculptural stone handrails create an experience that is warm and inviting, providing a calm backdrop for everyone to experience Apple’s incredible products, in addition to a diverse and vibrant programme of events. It is a place for people to meet and collaborate, and most of all, it will be an exciting experience that goes beyond retail.”
For the first time, some of the products on display, iPhones and iPads, will be “untethered” – not connected to a security cord – allowing customers to pick them up and walk around with them.
Foster + Partners was appointed by Apple 2013 to overhaul a number of stores and is also designing its giant campus in California.
Images: Nigel Young
