Apple's third large California campus is already built

Posted:
in AAPL Investors
In January, Apple announced plans to build a new campus in the United States. However, it hasn't previously said much about AC3, its third major campus development already nearing completion in Silicon Valley. Here's a look at the more immediate growth occurring in Apple's backyard as the company works to accommodate an expansion of workers.


AC3 is more publically visible than the "Campus 2" Spaceship of Apple Park, viewed from the west

Apple's third NorCal campus

Located in Sunnyvale, California at the corner of the Central Expressway and Wolfe Road, the nearly complete AC3 (for "Apple Campus 3," it's also known as "Central and Wolfe") is about 4 miles (6 km, or a ten minute drive) from either Apple Park or the company's original 1 Infinite Loop campus, both of which lie within the city limits of the adjacent city of Cupertino.

In typical suburban California fashion, it would require almost an hour to get between AC3 and Apple Park on a city bus (even though there actually is a direct route), so Apple will no doubt continue to use its own shuttles to move employees. On the other hand, the new AC3 is much closer to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station, enabling employees who live along the regional commuter train corridor (from San Francisco to San Jose) to take the train and a short shuttle (or bike) ride to the new facility.




The Flyover view of the site in Apple Maps currently depicts AC3 as a work in progress, but the cranes are long gone and most of the landscaping is now complete. The complex has a George Jetson flair with round expanses of windows that nearly capture Apple's bespoke design of Apple Park, although on closer inspection it appears much more conventional and looks less expensive.


AC3 as currently depicted in Apple Maps Flyover


The site appears to have been speculatively designed by HOK and initiated by its builder Level 10 Construction rather than being designed and commissioned by Apple itself, which signed a lease to occupy it in 2015, just as Apple Park was entering construction. The AC3 project is now nearing completion.

Three rounded structures are joined by two bridged segments that connect them as points on a right angle, resembling a broken fidget spinner from the air.

There's parking on levels below the open design of its upper office floors, as well as in a separate, large parking structure to the rear. The site is located close to other buildings Apple has leased that appear to be hosting research related to Project Titan, Apple's automotive-related initiatives.


AC3 bridge segment viewed from the west



AC3 viewed from the south west



AC3 viewed from the south



AC3 viewed from the southeast corner, at Central Expressway

Progress over the past year

In the galleries below, you can see photos of AC3 under construction last May and what it looked like closer to completion back in September, showing off the expansive open floor plans. Apple now appears to be close to moving employees into the new site.

AC3 in May 2017



AC3 in September 2017
patchythepirate

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    The Jetsons is right! Looks more like a convention centre than an office building.
  • Reply 2 of 19
    I thought the purpose of Apple park was to have everyone and every department under one roof? Have they run out of space at the spaceship already?
  • Reply 3 of 19
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    adm1 said:
    I thought the purpose of Apple park was to have everyone and every department under one roof? Have they run out of space at the spaceship already?
    Apple Park was announced in 2011 and just got finished building late last year.  Within that 6-year period Apple's Silicon Valley headcount has grown substantially.
  • Reply 4 of 19
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
  • Reply 5 of 19
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    adm1 said:
    I thought the purpose of Apple park was to have everyone and every department under one roof? Have they run out of space at the spaceship already?
    It was said when they were planning Apple Campus 2 (Apple Park) that they would still need their existing campus on Infinite Loop and not every single employee would be moving to Apple Park. Apple has far more than 13,000 Corporate employees (non-retail) which is pretty much the capacity of Apple Park. 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 6 of 19
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
    Boring is just in your head. Rectangular, round, doesn't matter when you are sitting in front of a monitor all day. Just put in your 8 hours and head home. Eat, sleep, love your family, rinse and repeat.
    designr
  • Reply 7 of 19
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    volcan said:
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
    Boring is just in your head. Rectangular, round, doesn't matter when you are sitting in front of a monitor all day. Just put in your 8 hours and head home. Eat, sleep, love your family, rinse and repeat.
    Until you reach the retirement age of 70 to play golf. Damn, too old for any activity at that age. What a fucking boring human life, huh!
    StrangeDaysbaconstang
  • Reply 8 of 19
    mtbnutmtbnut Posts: 199member
    Anyone know the radii of the inside bevels that connect the three buildings? I am flipping a house in Cupertino and want to pay homage to Apple. Adding 'Curves on garage floor behind washer and dryer are the same radii as Apple's new AC3 building' adds $130,000 to the price. 

    Because Bay Area housing market...
    edited March 2018
  • Reply 9 of 19
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    fallenjt said:
    volcan said:
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
    Boring is just in your head. Rectangular, round, doesn't matter when you are sitting in front of a monitor all day. Just put in your 8 hours and head home. Eat, sleep, love your family, rinse and repeat.
    Until you reach the retirement age of 70 to play golf. Damn, too old for any activity at that age. What a fucking boring human life, huh!
    Well in my case I take at least 3 months vacation a year, except I end up working remotely every day anyway because no one else knows how to do my job. Lord knows what they are going to do when I actually do retire.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    Well in my case I take at least 3 months vacation a year, except I end up working remotely every day anyway because no one else knows how to do my job. Lord knows what they are going to do when I actually do retire. ……………………NO ONE IN THE WORK-A-DAY WORLD IS IRREPLACEABLE, get over yourself.
    edited March 2018
  • Reply 11 of 19
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    NO ONE IN THE WORK-A-DAY WORLD IS IRREPLACEABLE, get over yourself.   

    Yep cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people. I hear you. The situation is that I'm maintaining code, much of which, I wrote 20 years ago and unfortunately with very few comments. Some stuff I can't even remember how it works at first glance. Takes some time to relearn what I did back then. When I leave, they'll just have to start over. I've already rewritten the application twice and it needs to be rewritten again in a more modern style, so that is the way they will have to go, but starting from scratch with no understanding of the history is going to be some tough sledding. I've been working at this company much longer than anyone else, even top management. There is stuff in my head that I just don't have the time or the desire to explain.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
    We talked about it last year at this time.

  • Reply 13 of 19
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,104member
    Passed those buildings several times about a year ago and was curious what they were going to be...Cool!
  • Reply 14 of 19
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    volcan said:
    Boring is just in your head. Rectangular, round, doesn't matter when you are sitting in front of a monitor all day. Just put in your 8 hours and head home. Eat, sleep, love your family, rinse and repeat.
    This is me after reading this comment.

    volcan said:
    Yep cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people.
    Tesla, Poincaré, Feynman, Heisenberg, Mozart, Michelangelo, Tolkien, Shakespeare, Planck, Dyson (oh, wait, he’s still alive)… 
    ...with very few comments. Some stuff I can't even remember how it works at first glance.
    Plus
    When I leave, they'll just have to start over. I've already rewritten the application twice and it needs to be rewritten again in a more modern style…
    Equals: Guaranteed source of income after retirement. Rewrite it a third time as your last act at the company, but leave out all the comments. Then sell the comments to them once you’re gone!  ;)
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 15 of 19
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Flyover/fly around? I'm a long way from Cal and have appreciated the perspective and context offered in previous drone imaging.
  • Reply 16 of 19
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    At last! Now I understand these feelings I've been having...  :'(
  • Reply 17 of 19
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    adm1 said:
    I thought the purpose of Apple park was to have everyone and every department under one roof? Have they run out of space at the spaceship already?
    No.  The old campus was always to be kept.   What Apple originally said they were going to do was to get rid of all the leased space in other buildings around Cupertino.   
  • Reply 18 of 19
    Nicknamed Fidget Spinner.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    volcan said:
    fallenjt said:
    volcan said:
    First time hearing about this campus, and seeing pictures. I'm glad they are not just putting up boring rectangular buildings.
    Boring is just in your head. Rectangular, round, doesn't matter when you are sitting in front of a monitor all day. Just put in your 8 hours and head home. Eat, sleep, love your family, rinse and repeat.
    Until you reach the retirement age of 70 to play golf. Damn, too old for any activity at that age. What a fucking boring human life, huh!
    Well in my case I take at least 3 months vacation a year, except I end up working remotely every day anyway because no one else knows how to do my job. Lord knows what they are going to do when I actually do retire.
    NO ONE IN THE WORK-A-DAY WORLD IS IRREPLACEABLE, get over yourself!
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