'apple central world' in bangkok is housed beneath a cantilevered tree canopy

following the opening of ‘apple iconsiam’ in 2018, apple has now shared the first photos of its second retail location in thailand. situated at the heart of ratchaprasong, bangkok’s famous intersection, ‘apple central world’ provides a completely new and accessible destination within the lively city. as with many of the tech company’s previous stores, the design was developed in collaboration with foster + partners.

image © apple (also main image)

housed beneath a cantilevered ‘tree canopy’ roof, apple says that the store is its ‘first-ever all-glass design’. the venue’s two levels are connected by a spiral staircase that wraps around a timber core and a cylindrical elevator clad in mirror-polished stainless steel. guests can enter from either the ground or upper level, which provides a direct connection to bangkok’s skytrain and central world, the city’s largest shopping center.

image © apple

‘clad in warm timber, the central support is formed of 1,461 european white oak profiles,’ explains foster + partners. ‘the oak timber is split into individual lamellas and bonded onto a spruce core for stability. a carefully crafted edge detail on each slat allows air to be extracted out through the central structure with an absorptive acoustic backing layer.’

image © apple

the store includes many of apple’s latest features, including a forum, boardroom, and freestanding displays. centered around a video wall, the forum is home to future ‘today at apple’ sessions, while customers can discover products and accessories at the freestanding displays. elsewhere, the boardroom provides entrepreneurs, developers, and local business owners with a dedicated space to receive personal advice and guidance from the apple team. externally, an outdoor plaza offers a place for the community to gather, with benches and large trees. see other apple stores on designboom here.

image © apple

image © apple

image © bear and terry

image © bear and terry

image © bear and terry

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project info:

name: apple central world
location: bangkok, thailand
design: foster + partners / apple
status: complete