Apple’s new retail store is compared to a floating lantern with a unique design featuring a glass dome that sits directly on the waters of Singapore’s Marina Bay.
Apple had presented the world with a glimpse of its new store a few weeks ago and has now shared more of its pictures.
The store will be Apple’s third in Singapore and 512th worldwide. It will open to visitors on Thursday, September 10th.
The store is named Apple Marina Bay Sands and is situated in Singapore’s luxury zone, full of stores, restaurants and the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino.
The sphere is composed of 114 individual pieces of glass held in place by 10 vertical mullions (the architectural term for supporting bars between glass panes in the window). Apple claims the dome is the first of its kind construction: all-glass and completely self-supporting.
Apple Marina Bay Sands
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An exterior image of the floating store.
The store includes a video screen for presentations, tutorials and talks.
The main shop floor offers a breathtaking view of the Marina Bay.
Along with a shop floor with all the standard gadgets on exhibit, the dome houses a video screen and a seating area to host the numerous talks and tutorials that Apple likes to offer at its stores.
There is a lower level below the dome and the surface of the bay. Apple says this space contains the company’s “first underwater boardroom,” where “entrepreneurs and developers interested in obtaining training and advice can meet with members of the Apple team.”
Deirdre O’Brien Senior Vice President, Apple.
“We couldn’t be more excited to open the breathtaking Apple Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, building on our commitment to this special place that began more than 40 years ago. Our passionate and talented team is ready to welcome this community to our new store and deliver the care and support that our customers around the world love.”
But perhaps the most remarkable thing about the new store is not tangible at all, it’s something that the store’s staffs are bringing. According to Apple, the 148-person Marina Bay Sands team collectively speaks 23 languages: a fact that makes the shop more friendly to tourists than any architectural accomplishment.
