foster + partners: new apple campus design update

‘apple campus’ by foster and partners in cupertino, california, USA image © foster and partners, apple inc.

after much buzz and online rumours about a new apple campus designed by internationally renowned practice foster and partners, the official design has been released by the city of cupertino, a suburb in santa clara county, california, USA. situated on a plot measuring approximately 708,200 m2, the new headquarters will accommodate 13,000 employees in one central four-storied circular building. included in the proposal is a 260,128 m2 office, research and development building, 1000-seat auditorium, 27,870 m2 research facilities, and a generating plant that will serve as the campus’ primary source of electricity.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

conceived as an environmentally-aware development, the design increases the existing landscape on the site by +350%. the majority of the asphalt parking will be moved underground to make room for 6,000 indigenous trees and network of foot paths. the central courtyard defined by the circular building provides ample green space for apple employees, integrating outdoor elements into their corporate lifestyle.

aiming to provide a unified headquarters that promotes collaboration and communication, the building is a simple circular form that has been extruded to four storeys above grade. the vertical height of the structure has been kept low to maintain a human-scaled sense of space.

scroll down for a video of steve job’s presentation to the cupertino city council to find out more about the project. the first four renderings below are april 2013 releases that reflect a revised plan for the apple campus in light of budget concerns. read more about apple’s rescaled campus here.

new renderings how bike paths integrated into the campus

image courtesy of cupertino city council

image courtesy of cupertino city council

greenery and walkways are now integrated into the plan

the design promotes a healthy live-work balance

image courtesy of cupertino city council

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

image © foster and partners, apple inc.

site plan

floor plan / level -2

floor plan / level -1

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level +1

floor plan / level +2

roof level