After a secretive and highly anticipated construction process and an opening delayed by pandemic restrictions, I finally had a chance to get a look inside one of Apple’s coolest new stores this week! This is the third bespoke Apple store in Singapore and it was designed by Foster + Partners.
The 28 meter spherical structure floats within Marina Bay amongst the vibrant backdrop of the Singapore skyline. The site was previously occupied by a crystalline structure designed by Moshe Safdie, which housed international nightclubs Avalon & Pangaea.
The entrance to the floating store is through an underground tunnel from the shopping mall component of the Moshe Safdie designed iconic Marina Bay Sands complex. The shopfront features immaculately crafted Castagna stone walls, which have become a signature feature of many of Apple’s stores (including Singapore’s first Apple store at Orchard Road, which was also designed by Foster + Partners).
The stone walls curve inwards, gently leading visitors into the store. Access to the store is currently limited to online pre-bookings due to current pandemic restrictions. A series of minimalist product displays line the underwater tunnel which leads to the base of the floating glass sphere.
At the end of the tunnel is a pair of escalators, which pass through a mirrored portal into the glass sphere above!
Inside the expansive 28 meter diameter sphere, curved glass windows provide stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding city skyline.
The interior of the dome is inspired by the Pantheon, with a round glass oculus at the crown. The glass facade, composed of impossibly large curved glass panels, is lined by a series of sunshade rings that get progressively deeper to optimise solar shading with visibility. The supporting structure is near-invisibly slender and clad in mirrored steel.
The open plan layout with informal table displays and furniture are fringed by row of indoor trees planted in pots with built-in benches.
Any structures that need to pop up into the space such as the accessibility lift and staircases are made to appear nearly invisible with mirror cladding and glass finishes.
The store is exited via a curved external bridge that connects to the bayfront pedestrian promenade.
After dark, the sunshading rings are uplit, creating a lantern like effect that stands out among the many iconic structures around the bay!
Images & Video by Jonathan Choe
