Planning Board Rendering Unveils New Glass-Enclosed Apple Store for Stanford

The Palo Alto Online has unearthed plans for a new glass-enclosed retail store going in near the current Stanford mini-store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA.

The store will have three floor-to-ceiling glass walls enclosing the front of the store with a visually free-floating white roof overhead. This is a similar design to the new store being built in Portland, OR, as well as a new store in Aix-en-Provence, France. What makes this store unique, however, is the interior.

Stanfordapplestore
In the middle of the store, it appears that Apple's architects have placed a stone wall that separates the store into two distinct areas. A front area enclosed by glass walls, and a rear space that will include the standard Apple Retail Store product tables and counters.

From the Palo Alto Online:

One seasoned industry observer who had viewed the early drawings called the building design exquisite. "It makes an elegant and dramatic statement. It is destined to become Apple's flagship store," he said. The structure features a tall glass cube with an overhang that extends well beyond the building. "It makes the space between the outside and the inside almost indistinguishable," the source said, adding that it will bear some similarity to New York's Apple Store Fifth Avenue, which also has a distinctive glass cube as an entrance.

The new store replaces the Rugby Ralph Lauren and Williams Sonoma Home stores that were previously in the space. IFOAppleStore notes the store, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, is expected to open by the end of the year. The existing Stanford mini-store will be shuttered once the new location opens.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

dziewuliz Avatar
159 months ago
Awesome, more lawsuits coming from people with vision impairments...
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
159 months ago
I see that and think...

Bonk. Bonk. Bonk. Bonk. Bonk. Bonk.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scottdan1200 Avatar
159 months ago
A new Store Paradigm?

I think we may be seeing the first space designed for Apple's push into the living room. One half (the most visible) dedicated to the home experience, the other to have the typical set of product display tables.

This would allow them to separate the noise of those at the product tables from interfering with the (potential) Siri-activated Apple TV. It would also give shoppers an idea of just how beautiful the new TV is in a more familiar environment, perhaps even with couches and other furniture.

Just a thought.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
east85 Avatar
159 months ago
This is like a smack in the face to that poor old lady that ran into the apple store glass door a few weeks back! :mad:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
159 months ago
I think we may be seeing the first space designed for Apple's push into the living room. One half (the most visible) dedicated to the home experience, the other to have the typical set of product display tables.

This would allow them to separate the noise of those at the product tables from interfering with the (potential) Siri-activated Apple TV. It would also give shoppers an idea of just how beautiful the new TV is in a more familiar environment, perhaps even with couches and other furniture.

Just a thought.
And a good though at that.

In fact, that thought was so well thought out, I think MR can do a cover story on it.

MR Forum User Speculates that Apple's New Store Design Concept for Selling Siri Based TVs



Today, forum user scottdan1200 on MacRumors had a brilliant insight.
I think we may be seeing the first space designed for Apple's push into the living room. One half (the most visible) dedicated to the home experience, the other to have the typical set of product display tables.

This would allow them to separate the noise of those at the product tables from interfering with the (potential) Siri-activated Apple TV. It would also give shoppers an idea of just how beautiful the new TV is in a more familiar environment, perhaps even with couches and other furniture.
While sounding like he really knew something, he shrugged it off at the end with:
Just a thought.
Many people have discussed the possibility of Apple releasing an "iTV" in time for the holidays this year.

Article Link: MR Forum user scottdan Speculates that Apple's New Store Design Concept for Selling Siri Based TVs (http://www.troll.me/images/jokerpool/why-so-serious-i-was-only-kidding.jpg)
I should totally get hired to start writing for MacRumors.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cvaldes Avatar
159 months ago
People forgot about earthquakes in California.
I doubt that. There's building code they need to follow.

For certain, some construction techniques have been banned in California due to earthquake hazards, but they are for things like brick masonry. Much of these regulations came about after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake which destroyed many of the older brick structures in Santa Cruz, particularly in retail stores.

Getting showered by safety glass is better than having a brick wall bury you.

Note that the most earthquake-prone country in the world -- Japan -- has not banned the use of glass.

The biggest hazard in earthquakes is fire, followed by tsunami (not applicable for Stanford/Palo Alto). Fire is what destroyed San Francisco in 1906.

Glass and metal doesn't burn. Wood framing and plywood? You bet. The use of wood shakes as roofing material has also been deprecated in this state.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)