Apple Store Soho is one of Apple’s first high-profile retail locations. It was first opened in 2002 at 103 Prince Street. The original use of the building was a Post Office. The renovation of the store was the first in 10 years. The store has grown significantly, gaining sales space for twice as many products. One major feature of the new store is a state-of-the-art theater with extra seating that will be used for events and workshops. The SoHo store also has a larger Genius Bar than before, making it easier for customers to get an appointment and receive help with their Apple products.
One of the defining architectural features of the store is the glass stair. At the time, this was the largest piece of glass used at any Apple Store in the United States. The 65ft glass balustrades cantilever from the second floor of this historic building. A column bay was also removed in order to give the space a more open, welcoming feel. The skylight from the original store was kept in place but retrofitted to accommodate new stainless steel panels and new mechanical systems.
Team
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Eckersley O'Callaghan, WSP Flack & Kurtz, Shawmut Construction
Square’s mission is to make commerce easy for thousands of small business owners and their customers. The company’s ethos is reflected in every detail of their software and hardware products, with a crisp, minimalist design that is both intuitive and elegant. When Square approached us to design their new San Francisco Headquarters, we arrived at several fundamental objectives: to foster an open, fully transparent corporate culture in keeping with their startup roots; to flexibly accommodate the company’s growth through clear and intuitive workplace organization; and to complement the company’s brand through careful consideration of architectural detail.
The design transforms a former Bank of America data center—which was undistinguished, windowless, and never designed for office use—into a first class workspace. Constructed in two phases, the project encompasses nearly 300,000-square-feet of space distributed over four floors. The large 100,000-square-foot floor plates, which allow many employees close proximity to one another, also pose a challenge to organizing space in a comprehensible way. This challenge was addressed by designing a workplace that relies on principles of urban design; by taking cues from cities such as Dubrovnik and Savannah, the design establishes clear circulation routes with visual landmarks that break down the scale of these vast floor plates.
A central boulevard serves as the organizational spine for the office floors. Lined with tables and cabanas, and punctuated by “civic” landmarks—including a library, gallery, and cafe—the boulevard functions as a primary hub for team collaboration and social interaction. Anchoring the boulevard, a monumental amphitheater stair unifies the office floors and provides a flexible venue for a host of activities, from individual focus to large presentations. On the eighth floor, a more intimately scaled ‘Square Stair’ connects the office floor to the main dining level. By connecting all four floors along this central boulevard, the design encourages chance encounters and generates vitality comparable to the urban marketplace the company serves.
The project’s clean lines and predominantly white interiors are a reflection of Square’s visual identity. In open areas, the exposed steel structure is painted white to reflect as much daylight as possible into the deep floor plates. Natural wood elements, detailed with locally salvaged eucalyptus and bamboo plywood, provide visual interest in the common spaces. Color is applied selectively to demarcate key landmarks and evoke the Bay Area locale; international orange and pacific blue are used as the two primary accent hues. The resulting palette is a timeless expression of modern design that resonates with Square’s brand identity.
Team
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Charles M. Salter Associates, Banks Ramos Lighting, RLS, Pivot Interiors, One Workplace
House on Lake Tahoe
The owners of this property along the North shore of Lake Tahoe wanted a vacation home for their family of five that encouraged a connection to the lake and each other. The home’s design advance s a different approach to Tahoe-area residences, which typically emphasize a sheltering environment where wood and stone predominate, and views are selectively framed. This house contrasts the warm materiality of its exposed wood structure with expansive visual connections to the outdoors through glass walls, doors and windows.
The new home has two levels, an upper entry level with more social functions (kitchen, dining, library and sitting spaces, as well as a guest bedroom suite) and a private lower level which contains bedrooms, an exercise room and a media room. The upper level spaces are gathered under a vaulted exposed timber roof (structured by a series of custom steel trusses and Douglas-fir glu-laminated rafters), and anchored by a pair of massive stone fireplaces that connect the house to the land. Four large mahogany and glass sliding doors open the living space onto a covered Ipe´-wood deck that overlooks an expansive view of Lake Tahoe.
Facing the street, the entry façade is composed of a carefully detailed, slatted western red cedar rainscreen wall, which appears to pull apart to reveal the main entry to the building, and a carefully framed view to the lake beyond. The entry hall includes a custom steel and stone stair that leads to the ground floor bedrooms and media room, and slips between two massive blue-gray cut basalt stone fireplaces. Emanating from a skylight at the ridge, a wash of natural light marks this entry volume and highlights the fireplaces.
Through proportion and massing, this house offers a modern interpretation of the “Tahoe -style” while maintaining a warmth and richness using natural materials that connect the house to its surroundings. It is a thoroughly modern house that is at ease with its context, and fits seamlessly into the landscape. With a clearly organized plan and section, carefully tuned proportions, and custom architectural details incorporated throughout, this house is unique and befits its spectacular setting.
Team
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Umerani Associates, Corda Construction
Designed to choreograph movement along the extraordinary ridge-top site, the guesthouse celebrates its magical surroundings. The Santa Lucia Preserve is a remarkably beautiful, vast landscape that was previously a historic cattle ranch. The site has a rolling topography, a forest of ancient live oaks and manzanita, and offers panoramic views of the San Clemente Mountains and Los Padres National Forest beyond.
The first building constructed on site is the guesthouse. A simple, uncomplicated building, it flanks the winding entry drive and is anchored to the sloping site with a massive stone wall, screening the house and pool. A timber-framed shed roof springs from the wall, supporting naturally weathered zinc roofing over cedar-clad volumes.
The guesthouse is sited to take advantage of the temperate California climate. Expansive windows provide natural lighting throughout the house, while a broad overhang shades the interiors from the summer sun. Sliding doors and operable hopper windows throughout the house use the prevailing winds for natural ventilation, while also providing expansive views of the mountain range. Wood flooring in the living space of the house is reclaimed from an old barn.
Team
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Bernard Trainor Landscape Design, Stoker & Alaire Construction
Situated in the Northeastern Pennsylvania agrarian landscape, this residence is rooted in its circumstance of rolling fields, high grass, dry laid stone walls, farm structures and lakes; sited on a farm dating from the early 1900s.
An existing stone cottage sits near the upper corner of one field, among several mature trees. The owners wished to live in a residence that incorporated the existing stone cottage as well as sensitively relating to the special nature of the surrounding landscape.
The modest stone cottage has been preserved. A new linear wooden structure is situated between the stone cottage and a pond; parallel to an existing stone wall. The milled timber structure has been rigorously organized and detailed. This structure does not impose on the stone cottage; rather it is pulled free and linked via a delicate glass passage. A library and small loft reside in the stone cottage, while the garage, living and sleeping areas are contained within the new wooden structure.
The Lily Lake Residence is a thoughtful modernist intervention into an evocative agrarian landscape that is both sensitive and exacting.
Team
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Breig Brothers Construction
