Apple Store, Fifth Avenue

 
Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: Fifth Avenue, New York City

Designers Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and structural engineers Eckersly O'Callahan (glass elements) in collaboration with Apple used Apple Stores' signature structural glass vertical circulation to entice plaza level passersby down to the store's underground main level. The 32-foot structural glass cube marking the store's entrance makes a bold architectural statement. Housing a transparent glass elevator wrapped by a circular glass stair, the transparent cube beckons potential customers down to the retail level below. By day it is a skylight bringing natural light underground, while at night the lighted cube is a sign.

Renovation of the original cube began in June 2011. The original cube has been dismantled and will be replaced with a new one that follows a similar design but uses 15 much larger panes of glass rather than the 90 the previous cube required, estimated to be about two inches thick. 

Visitors descend the Plexiglas stair or travel in the all-glass elevator, entering a carefully tailored stainless steel and stone environment where Apple's products take center stage. Custom-designed wooden store fixtures, stainless steel ceiling and wall panels and an Italian stone floor make an elegant, yet restrained backdrop.