Latest Apple Park footage shows nighttime views of main 'spaceship'

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2017
Drone pilot Duncan Sinfield is back with his monthly Apple Park construction update, this time showing off aerial views of the main "spaceship" building lit up at night.




Though there remains much to be done in the way of landscaping and interior decorating, exterior work Apple Park's main structures is largely complete. As seen in the drone footage below, contractors are busy making the central office building ready as employees prepare to move in to their respective "pods," or working groups.

Solar arrays blanketing the central building's roof appear to be completely installed, though whether they are functional remains unknown. As seen in previous drone videos, lighting within the large circular structure, as well as in ancillary buildings and light posts dotting the vast campus grounds, is active.

A good portion of the video focuses on the caf, a large, open space protected by two massive glass doors operated by underground machinery. No furniture can be seen in today's release, though it is possible that Apple has since filled the space with tables and chairs to accommodate the 12,000 employees that will one day soon meet in the communal area.



Earlier this month, Wired took a tour of Apple Park with company executives, who explained the process of building a multi-billion dollar campus. Along with the usual platitudes about environmentally sound design, the feature explored Apple's design genesis with architect Norman Foster, as well as intricate details like custom doorhandles and elevator buttons.

A great deal of Apple Park can be traced back to late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. The tech guru had a vision for the campus and much of that came through as part of the final product. For example, a two-story yoga room in Apple Park's fitness center is covered in stone sourced from a quarry in Kansas then distressed to mirror Jobs' favorite hotel in Yosemite.

Jobs' spirit lives on in the Steve Jobs Theater, a 1,000-seat underground venue that sits atop a manmade hill overlooking the "spaceship."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    mkrewsonTheCosmos
  • Reply 2 of 26
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 3 of 26
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,088member
    Gorgeous 
    equality72521
  • Reply 4 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    Since most of the surface is uniform with long rows of continuous windows it seems to me that an Apple-designed, automated system is feasible.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,823member
    Soli said:
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    Since most of the surface is uniform with long rows of continuous windows it seems to me that an Apple-designed, automated system is feasible.
    This will happen, surely.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,823member
    Are the windows double glazed (or triple perhaps)? This is yet another video that I cannot watch on this site, I guess because I am lacking silverlight. Is the video up elsewhere?
  • Reply 7 of 26
    ericthehalfbeeericthehalfbee Posts: 4,486member
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?

    I thought they were coated with something that repels rain/water? Might require less frequent cleaning that way.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?

    I thought they were coated with something that repels rain/water? Might require less frequent cleaning that way.
    Even with an anti-static or water repellent coating, there are still a lot of airborn pollutants in California which would accumulate.
    Soli
  • Reply 9 of 26
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    iqatedo said:
    Are the windows double glazed (or triple perhaps)? This is yet another video that I cannot watch on this site, I guess because I am lacking silverlight. Is the video up elsewhere?
    Page back to the main story page on Appleinsider: it's a YouTube embedded video.
    tycho_macuser
  • Reply 10 of 26
    iqatedo said:
    Are the windows double glazed (or triple perhaps)? This is yet another video that I cannot watch on this site, I guess because I am lacking silverlight. Is the video up elsewhere?
    That's an excellent question.  Obviously they "should" be since air is an excellent insulator and glass is not.  However, these are massive custom made curved glass panels and I don't recall anyone mentioning that they weren't solid glass.  I've always assume that they (and all other massive glass architectural structures such various Apple stores) are solid.  Anyone know for sure?
  • Reply 11 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    iqatedo said:
    This is yet another video that I cannot watch on this site, I guess because I am lacking silverlight. Is the video up elsewhere?
    It's fricken YouTube.
  • Reply 12 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    iqatedo said:
    Are the windows double glazed (or triple perhaps)? This is yet another video that I cannot watch on this site, I guess because I am lacking silverlight. Is the video up elsewhere?
    That's an excellent question.  Obviously they "should" be since air is an excellent insulator and glass is not.  However, these are massive custom made curved glass panels and I don't recall anyone mentioning that they weren't solid glass.  I've always assume that they (and all other massive glass architectural structures such various Apple stores) are solid.  Anyone know for sure?
    I have no info into whether there are gas filled or vacuum chambers between sheets of glass, but I do wonder if that's even possible with the largest panes of curved glass ever produced. Wouldn't the tolerances would have to remarkable so that the gap between panes stays constant. In homes, the sheets are flat and you but them against the frame that creates an even gap that you seal. It's a good think their self-efficent with power.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    Drone pilot Duncan Sinfield is back with his monthly Apple Park construction update, this time showing off aerial views of the main "spaceship" building lit up at night.




    Though there remains much to be done in the way of landscaping and interior decorating, exterior work Apple Park's main structures is largely complete. As seen in the drone footage below, contractors are busy making the central office building ready as employees prepare to move in to their respective "pods," or working groups.

    Solar arrays blanketing the central building's roof appear to be completely installed, though whether they are functional remains unknown. As seen in previous drone videos, lighting within the large circular structure, as well as in ancillary buildings and light posts dotting the vast campus grounds, is active.

    A good portion of the video focuses on the caf, a large, open space protected by two massive glass doors operated by underground machinery. No furniture can be seen in today's release, though it is possible that Apple has since filled the space with tables and chairs to accommodate the 12,000 employees that will one day soon meet in the communal area.



    Earlier this month, Wired took a tour of Apple Park with company executives, who explained the process of building a multi-billion dollar campus. Along with the usual platitudes about environmentally sound design, the feature explored Apple's design genesis with architect Norman Foster, as well as intricate details like custom doorhandles and elevator buttons.

    A great deal of Apple Park can be traced back to late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. The tech guru had a vision for the campus and much of that came through as part of the final product. For example, a two-story yoga room in Apple Park's fitness center is covered in stone sourced from a quarry in Kansas then distressed to mirror Jobs' favorite hotel in Yosemite.

    Jobs' spirit lives on in the Steve Jobs Theater, a 1,000-seat underground venue that sits atop a manmade hill overlooking the "spaceship."
    They building won't be "filled" with furniture for many months.  As the Wired article discussed, the plan is to move staff over on a weekly schedule.  No doubt the furniture will be installed on a similar schedule.  That's just how these things are done: building out the final details of the interior space piece-by-piece just in advance of people actually moving in.

    Anyone know what the giant tower machine with "Gartner" branding is at the 3:18 mark in the video.  Surely it's not the Gartner of IT advisory services fame/infamy.  But what's it for?
  • Reply 14 of 26
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,808member

    Solar arrays blanketing the central building's roof appear to be completely installed, though whether they are functional remains unknown. As seen in previous drone videos, lighting within the large circular structure, as well as in ancillary buildings and light posts dotting the vast campus grounds, is active.
    The solar arrays are not completely installed. You can clearly see at around 1:34 there are still a lot of arrays missing from the roof. 


  • Reply 15 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    They building won't be "filled" with furniture for many months.  As the Wired article discussed, the plan is to move staff over on a weekly schedule.  No doubt the furniture will be installed on a similar schedule.  That's just how these things are done: building out the final details of the interior space piece-by-piece just in advance of people actually moving in.

    Anyone know what the giant tower machine with "Gartner" branding is at the 3:18 mark in the video.  Surely it's not the Gartner of IT advisory services fame/infamy.  But what's it for?
    1) We've seen footage of furniture inside for many months.

    2) Do you think that's for a research company? It looks like a machine waiting to install the remaining glass awnings once they get everything completed with the roof.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,040member
    Anyone know what the giant tower machine with "Gartner" branding is at the 3:18 mark in the video.  Surely it's not the Gartner of IT advisory services fame/infamy.  But what's it for?
    Gartner KG is a German-based transportation company. They are assisting in the transportation and installation of the curved glass panels that were manufactured by sedak GmbH & Co. KG (a.k.a. Seele), based in Bavaria, Germany.
    edited May 2017 Solirandominternetperson
  • Reply 17 of 26
    mainyehcmainyehc Posts: 133member
    Soli said:
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    Since most of the surface is uniform with long rows of continuous windows it seems to me that an Apple-designed, automated system is feasible.
    Not only is the surface regular, but those white canopies, according to the latest Wired feature on Apple Park, were also designed to optimally drain rainwater and deflect it from the windows. Sure, dust and pollution may still be a concern, but rain (and, where it occurs, hail and snow), is actually the most aggressive environmental factor when it comes to glass (especially if it's acid or otherwise polluted).
  • Reply 17 of 26
    mainyehcmainyehc Posts: 133member
    Soli said:
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    Since most of the surface is uniform with long rows of continuous windows it seems to me that an Apple-designed, automated system is feasible.
    Not only is the surface regular, but those white canopies, according to the latest Wired feature on Apple Park, were also designed to optimally drain rainwater and deflect it from the windows. Sure, dust and pollution may still be a concern, but rain (and, where it occurs, hail and snow), is actually the most aggressive environmental factor when it comes to glass (especially if it's acid or otherwise polluted).
  • Reply 19 of 26
    fracfrac Posts: 480member
    Along with the usual platitudes about environmentally sound design, the feature explored Apple's design genesis with architect Norman Foster, as well as intricate details like custom doorhandles and elevator buttons.


    Well that's a bit harsh. With anybody else, I would have to agree, but Apple's investment in and commitment to - renewable energy, is hardly deserving of "platitudes'. 
    Solirandominternetperson
  • Reply 20 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    mainyehc said:
    Soli said:
    Curious how they will clean all that glass...will window washers be working around the clock?
    "All Robo-Window Washers present and accounted for... ready to work 24/7!"
    Since most of the surface is uniform with long rows of continuous windows it seems to me that an Apple-designed, automated system is feasible.
    Not only is the surface regular, but those white canopies, according to the latest Wired feature on Apple Park, were also designed to optimally drain rainwater and deflect it from the windows. Sure, dust and pollution may still be a concern, but rain (and, where it occurs, hail and snow), is actually the most aggressive environmental factor when it comes to glass (especially if it's acid or otherwise polluted).
    For all we know the inside lip next to the window for air flow could have a built-in rail built to easily facilitate mounting a device that can easily clean the windows. I wonder if we'll ever see it being done since this is something that would likely be easily completed at night where the inside lights can help point out areas of build up, whether it's manual or done with an optical sensor.
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