Planning documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune reveal Apple’s spectacular plans for a new flagship store on the north bank of the Chicago River. Fittingly for the city which was home to Frank Lloyd Wright, the design echoes the Midwestern Prairie Style buildings created by the famous architect.
Apple confirmed the plans to the Tribune, which reports that they have already been granted approval, with a formal presentation set to ‘rubber-stamp’ the decision on Thursday …
The plans were drawn up by Apple’s favourite architects, Foster + Partners, responsible for the design of the company’s Spaceship campus, as well as the redesign for London’s Regent Street store.
The roof will be reinforced with carbon-fiber, providing shade to the exterior and “will blur the line between interior and exterior space.” Apple told the Tribune that the company wants to begin construction next year.
Soon-to-be-unveiled plans for the store call for a glass-sheathed temple of computing near the historic Michigan Avenue bridge and grand flights of stairs that will cascade from street level to the walkway along the Chicago River’s north bank […]
The proposal will replace a vacant food court at the 401 N. Michigan Ave. office building with a 20,000-square-foot store that overlooks the river and its flotillas of architectural tour boats.
There are currently two Apple Stores in the center of the city, the current flagship close by at 679 North Michigan Avenue, with three other stores a little further out. Check out the full set of renders over at the Chicago Tribune.
