Proposed Apple Store in Santa Monica features giant curved glass ceiling

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple is expected to propose a major new retail store in Santa Monica that would feature a large curved glass roof allowing the California sun to illuminate the shopping space.



The plans make no specific mention of Apple, referring only to "the applicant," but the designs clearly show the traditional minimalist layout of an Apple Store inside. The proposed building, first discovered by Curbed (via MacRumors), would be 8,084 square feet.



Located on the Third Street Promenade, the shop would replace an existing three-story building that was home to a Borders Bookstore. The 34-foot-high store would feature a transparent glass ceiling, allowing shoppers to see the sky above.



The illustrations for the project were revealed in a Santa Monica Planning Commission meeting agenda. That meeting is set to take place tonight.



The applicant for the project is listed as ASB/Blatteis Promenade Holdings, who purchased the property in September of 2010. The design for the project must receive approval from the city's Architectural Review Board.



The proposal also reveals the unnamed applicant will encourage its employees to use alternative transportation to get to work, offering a $100-per-month transit subsidy toward public transportation fares, as well as a $20-per-month bicycle reimbursement. Bicycle parking has also been proposed for inclusion at the facility's basement level.







The curved glass roof at the proposed store is similar to one already found at the Apple Store in New York's Upper West Side, which opened in 2009. That storefront is also taller, at 54 feet, versus the 34-foot height proposed in Santa Monica.







Curved glass is also a central component of Apple's so-called "spaceship" corporate headquarters, given that moniker because the proposed facility would have a massive circular shape. That structure, awaiting approval from the Cupertino, Calif., city council, would use curved glass all the way around its exterior.



"There's not a straight piece of glass in this building," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a presentation to the city council in June. "We've used our experience in building retail buildings all over the world. We know how to make the biggest pieces of glass for architectural use."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    I wonder if they're going to have issues with heating and cooling with so much glass on top?
  • Reply 2 of 29
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by David Forbes View Post


    I wonder if they're going to have issues with heating and cooling with so much glass on top?



    Was thinking the exact same thing. I wonder what the AC bill would be.



    Also is it really a good idea to have that much sunshine when most Apple displays are glossy?
  • Reply 3 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by David Forbes View Post


    I wonder if they're going to have issues with heating and cooling with so much glass on top?



    Cooling - possibly. Though having lived on the far west side, my first thought was "what California sun?" In my experience there's more "marine layer" than sun from June to August.



    Heating? In SoCal? What's that?



    In either event, good luck to them getting this through the Santa Monica bureaucracy in anything like a reasonable amount of time. I think it's a fine design, but the words "timely and efficient" and "Santa Monica approval" rarely appear in the same sentence. And Santa Monica's pretty protective of the Promenade.
  • Reply 4 of 29
    I wonder how they're gonna deal with all that monitor glare when the sun shines through that glass.

    They'll probably only order Macs with matte screens



    Either way, that's gonna be a darn good look'n store!
  • Reply 5 of 29
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    I'm surprised they'd build on this location. I've found the 3rd st mall in Santa Monica to be a tacky strip with really cheap shops (even since its 'revival'). Not the place I'd expect an Apple Store. Oh well.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GQB View Post


    I'm surprised they'd build on this location. I've found the 3rd st mall in Santa Monica to be a tacky strip with really cheap shops (even since its 'revival'). Not the place I'd expect an Apple Store. Oh well.



    There's already a smaller apple store in the promenade
  • Reply 7 of 29
    The full spectrum of light will cause poor visibilty when we look at the computer displays or iPads. Dont do it. I like the current store layout.
  • Reply 8 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    Was thinking the exact same thing. I wonder what the AC bill would be.



    Probably offset by the low lighting bill. Many windows is eco-friendly, especially good windows, which I'm sure this is.
  • Reply 9 of 29
    c4rlobc4rlob Posts: 277member
    All the glass and natural lighting make for a grand first impression - I loved first walking into the NYC upper westside store - but as soon as you walk up to a table you see how much of a design mistake it is. The glare it causes on iPads is actually quite significant. It's bad enough that it feels like they're trying to prove the Amazon Kindle ads are right.



    Unless Apple is making this decision based on the fact that they know iPads and iPhones will not have glossy screens much longer.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    Earthquake.



    Crashing sound.



    Death.
  • Reply 11 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    Was thinking the exact same thing. I wonder what the AC bill would be.



    Probably pretty low.



    In Santa Monica, average annual daily high is 66F, low is 56F, no humidity issues. The Pacific Ocean provides natural A/C and about three months of the year, you have a marine inversion layer to boot. Just ventilating the structure would probably be sufficient eight or nine months of the year with limited A/C use on the hottest days (mostly in August, September, October).



    Prolonged heat spells on the Pacific coast are very rare. Usually after 2-3 days of heat, the marine layer will kick in.
  • Reply 12 of 29
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Earthquake.



    Crashing sound.



    Death.



    Feel building shaking.



    Leave store while turning on video camera.



    Best earthquake pictures ever.
  • Reply 13 of 29
    aaarrrggghaaarrrgggh Posts: 1,609member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by David Forbes View Post


    I wonder if they're going to have issues with heating and cooling with so much glass on top?



    Well... it might work if they use aerogel. We generally have to use R30 insulation to get the envelope to conform to Title 24 (energy code).



    But glass... no way. You might be able to use a radiant floor and displacement ventilation to let hot air stratify at the top, but it would not be a comfortable space.
  • Reply 14 of 29
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Probably pretty low.



    In Santa Monica, average annual daily high is 66F, low is 56F, no humidity issues. The Pacific Ocean provides natural A/C and about three months of the year, you have a marine inversion layer to boot. Just ventilating the structure would probably be sufficient eight or nine months of the year with limited A/C use on the hottest days (mostly in August, September, October).



    Prolonged heat spells on the Pacific coast are very rare. Usually after 2-3 days of heat, the marine layer will kick in.



    I've lived in Santa Monica. The problem is that much glass traps heat so whilst it might only be 66F outside without A/C it will be a lot hotter inside.
  • Reply 15 of 29
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    If you cover the roof and punch a hole in the wall it also looks like the one we have in chicago.



  • Reply 16 of 29
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    You beat me to it.



    I was visiting LA when the last big earthquake hit. I had just driven from Michigan (in under two days). I got there at about 1 in the morning. I checked into some cheap hotel in West Hollywood. I was awaken by the whole room violently being shaken. I never experienced an earthquake before so I thought this was normal. The shaken was so strong I couldn't have gotten out of bed if I wanted to so I put the blankets over my head and went back to sleep. I woke up the next day around noon and walked outside to see the National Guard lining the streets. Some buildings were leveled. A wall in the hotel I was staying at caved in on top of the pool. A mall a half mile away completely was destroyed. My friend lived in Santa Monica. Many of the buildings there suffered severe damage.



    A glass ceiling doesn't seem so bright.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Earthquake.



    Crashing sound.



    Death.



  • Reply 17 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Earthquake.



    Crashing sound.



    Death.



    Yeah, you'd really be safer under a concrete or steel roof.
  • Reply 18 of 29
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    That should be fun when an earthquake hits and shatters it into a billion pieces.
  • Reply 19 of 29
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Anyone know where Apple buys their glass from? Probably worth an investment...
  • Reply 20 of 29
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Yeah, you'd really be safer under a concrete or steel roof.



    Yes, you would.
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