Apple Park

Apple Park, also known as Apple Campus 2, is the corporate headquarters of Apple Inc., located in Cupertino, California, United States. It was opened to employees in April 2017, while construction was still underway. It replaced Apple Campus as the company's corporate headquarters. The main building's scale and circular groundscraper design, by Norman Foster, has earned the structure the media nickname "the spaceship". Located on a suburban site totaling 360 acres (1.46 km2), it houses more than 12,000 employees in one central four-story circular building of approximately 64 acres (0.26 km2). Apple co-founder Steve Jobs wanted the campus to look less like a business park and more like a nature refuge; 80 percent of the site consists of green space planted with drought-resistant trees and plants indigenous to the Cupertino area, and the center courtyard of the main building features an artificial pond. History In June 2011, Apple's then CEO Steve Jobs announced to the city council of Cupertino that Apple had acquired nine contiguous properties to build a second campus, the Apple Campus 2. The idea for a new headquarters was conceived by Jobs and Apple's then chief designer Jony Ive. Ive was Apple's immediate choice to design the project, going on to work very closely together with Norman Foster across five years, designing every detail, from the glass panels to the elevator buttons. Purchases of the needed properties were made through the company Hines Interests, which in at least some cases did not disclose the fact that Apple was the ultimate buyer; Philip Mahoney, a partner with a local commercial real estate brokerage, noted that this is common practice in attempts to arrange the purchase of contiguous land made up of multiple parcels with separate owners, in order to keep costs from skyrocketing and not reveal the company's plans to competitors. Among the sellers of the properties were SummerHill Homes (a plot of 8 acres or 3.2 hectares) and Hewlett-Packard (three buildings of their campus in Cupertino). Until April 2008, Apple had not sought the necessary permits to begin construction, so it was estimated that the project would not be ready in 2010 as originally proposed; however, the buildings on the site were held by Apple for its operations. In November 2010 the San Jose Mercury News revealed that Apple had bought an additional 98 acres (40 ha) no longer used by HP, just north across Pruneridge Ave. This space had been the HP campus in Cupertino before it was relocated to Palo Alto. On June 7, 2011, Jobs presented to the Cupertino City Council the details of the architectural design of the new buildings and their surroundings. Afflicted with pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs resigned from Apple in August 2011 and died a few months later on October 5th. Jobs' proposal to the Cupertino City Council was his final public appearance before his death. On October 15, 2013, the Cupertino City Council unanimously approved Apple's plans for the new campus after a six-hour debate. Shortly thereafter, demolition work began to prepare the site for construction. Originally expected to break ground in 2013 and open in 2015, the project was delayed and started in 2014. On February 22, 2017, Apple announced that the official name of the campus would be "Apple Park", and the auditorium would be named the "Steve Jobs Theater". The campus opened for workers in April 2017, despite continued construction work. This was followed by the first event in the Steve Jobs Theater, which took place on September 12, 2017. The Apple Park Visitor Center opened two months and five days later, on November 17, 2017. As a consequence of the construction of Apple Park in the area, surrounding streets have seen increased tourism as well as rising real estate values, due to Apple employees' desire to live near their workplace. Location Apple Park is located 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of the original Apple Campus. Apple has had a presence in Cupertino since 1977, which is why the company decided to build in the area rather than move to a cheaper, distant location. The campus is also next to a contaminated site under Superfund legislation with a groundwater plume found to contain trichloroethylene from improper disposal of industrial waste by semiconductor manufacturers. Design and construction Steve Jobs, in June 2011, in his final public appearance before his death, was quoted as saying: It's got a gorgeous courtyard in the middle, and a lot more. It's a circle, so it's curved all the way round. This is not the cheapest way to build something. Every pane of glass in the main building will be curved. We have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I really do think that architecture students will come here to see it. The ring-shaped building, aptly nicknamed "The Spaceship" and advertised as "a perfect circle", was not originally planned as such. The inner rim and outer rim on each floor are left open as walkways. There are eight buildings, separated by nine mini-atria. The campus is 4,805 feet (1,465 m) in circumference, with a diameter of 1,512 feet (461 m). One lap around the center "Spaceship" takes about 25 minutes and is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km). The one circular building houses most employees. It is four stories above the ground and three stories underground. Apple created life-size mock-ups of all parts of the building to analyze any design issues. The campus design places the roads underground. Cars are parked underground and in two multistory parking garages. The campus uses only glass for its walls and views of the inner courtyard as well as of the landscape facing the exterior of the building. Around 83,000 square feet (7,700 m2) of space is for meetings and breakout spaces in the building. The inner part of the circular building contains a 30-acre (12 ha) park featuring a pond, with fruit trees and winding pathways inspired by California fruit orchards. Apple brought to the construction project the same "fanatical attention to detail" which the company is famous for lavishing upon its products. Apple insisted on extraordinarily tight tolerances, even for parts of the structure normally hidden from view. Construction workers were often required to wear gloves to minimize accidental damage to surfaces. All interior wood used for furniture was harvested from a certain species of maple, with Apple working with construction companies from 19 countries for designs and materials. A breathing, hollow concrete slab acts as floor, ceiling, and HVAC system. A total of 4,300 such slabs were used. Some of the slabs weigh 60,000 pounds (27 t). Construction During construction, the building's structure was started by Skanska and DPR, but they were removed from the job for undisclosed reasons. Apple hired Rudolph and Sletten and Holder Construction as its new general contractors, and they completed the structure, envelope, and interior buildout. Truebeck Construction (then known as BNBTBuilders) worked on the exterior landscaping, Steve Jobs Theater, and the health and fitness center; a joint venture of BNBTBuilders and Webcor Builders worked on an adjacent group of research and development buildings; McCarthy Building Companies built the parking garage; and Granite Construction performed road widening and utility work. The project created approximately 13,000 full-time construction jobs. The facade panes are produced by Bavarian companies Josef Gartner and Sedak. The latter company is a subsidiary of Seele GmbH; Apple had previously worked with Seele, an expert on glass facades, for some of its more prominent Apple Stores such as the one on 5th Avenue in New York City. David Nicholl and Partners delivered the M&E works. Costs The land cost was estimated at $160 million. In 2011, the budget for Apple Campus 2 was less than $3 billion. However, in 2013 the total cost was estimated to be closer to $5 billion. Energy source The campus was announced as one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world, and the main building, Steve Jobs Theater, and fitness center are all LEED Platinum certified. In an April 2018 press release, Apple announced that it had switched to being powered entirely by renewable energy. The solar panels installed on the roof of the campus can generate 17 megawatts of power, sufficient to power 75% during peak daytime, and making it one of the largest solar roofs in the world. The other 4 megawatts are generated onsite using Bloom Energy Server fuel cells, which are powered by biofuel or natural gas. The air flows freely between the inside and outside of the building, providing natural ventilation and obviating the need for HVAC systems during nine months of the year. Facilities Cafés The campus has seven Caffè Macs locations, the company’s brand for its cafeterias, with the largest being a three-level location with seating space for 3,000 people. It has light-colored stone lining and glass railing with no metal support and is surrounded by extensive landscaping. The mezzanine space of 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) can accommodate 600 people and 1,750 seats on terraces outside, with a capacity to serve 15,000 lunches a day, housed by specially designed 500 tables made of solid Spessart white oak, measuring 18 ft (5.5 m) long and 4 ft (1.2 m) wide. The sports tables and benches resemble those in Apple Stores. Auditorium Wellness center A 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) fitness center is located in the northwest of the campus. Apart from gym equipment, the fitness center features other amenities like changing rooms, showers, laundry services, and rooms for group sessions. Research and development facility The research and development facilities feature two large 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2) buildings on the southern edge of the campus and are occupied by more than 2,000 people. The top floor of each building houses the department comprising industrial design and human interface teams. Observatory The Apple Park Observatory, which opened in 2024, is an event space and gallery meant to "provide public showcases of [Apple's] latest technology." The subterranean building, which has been compared to James Turrell's skylit spaces, is made of terrazzo, natural stone, and timber, like the nearby Steve Jobs Theater. Transportation Bus Employees traveling by bus will board and depart from the bus station, which leads to the main campus via two white staircases. The area is also served by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which runs a local bus service from Cupertino to nearby cities. Transit consultant Jarrett Walker, who worked with the VTA on providing service to the campus, criticized the campus' design due to its poor access to public transit. Parking Parking is located both underground and in two large parking structures accommodating approximately 14,200 employees. Cupertino regulations required a minimum of 11,000 parking spaces, 700 of which have electric vehicle charging stations. There are 2,000 parking spaces in the subterranean parking garage. The parking is managed by sensors and apps, which manage the traffic and parking spaces. Cycling There are 1,000 bikes on the campus for employees to get around, with miles of cycling and jogging trails all over the 175-acre (71 ha) campus. There are an additional 2,000 bicycle parking spaces in the subterranean car parking garage. Visitor Center The Apple Park Visitor Center is a two-story, 20,135 square feet (1,870.6 m2) structure with four main areas: an Apple Store featuring Apple-branded merchandise not sold at regular stores, a public Caffè Macs, an exhibition space, and a roof terrace overlooking the campus. It opened to the public on November 17, 2017. Construction was estimated to cost $80 million, with a further $26 million estimated for the underground parking structure; the building reportedly cost about $4,000 per square foot, more than double the roughly $1,500 per square foot cost of the overall Apple Park project. The property, at 10600 North Tantau Avenue (northeast corner of Tantau and Pruneridge avenues), is across the road from the Apple Park campus proper and abuts a residential neighborhood. The site also includes a public art installation called Mirage, located in an olive grove next to the Visitor Center building. The installation consists of more than 400 cast-glass cylinders made from sand originating from 58 deserts around the world. The cylinders are installed side by side, creating a pedestrian path winding through the grove. Between the surface parking and the three underground garage levels, the center has parking for over 900 vehicles. The Visitor Center is the only part of Apple Park that tourists are permitted to visit. Apple Park Developer Center Apple Park Developer Center is a two-story structure across the street from the Apple Park Visitor Center at 10500 North Tantau Avenue (southeast corner of Tantau and Pruneridge avenues). Construction began in May 2021. Apple Park Developer Center was inaugurated on June 6, 2022, during WWDC. Grounds Landscaping 80% of the campus consists of green space. The spacious courtyard in the middle of the primary building was planted with apricot, olive, and apple orchards, as well as a herb garden near the cafe. Other plants selected for the campus landscape are drought tolerant. Recycled water is used to water the campus. In 2011, Apple hired an arborist, Dave Muffly, to cultivate California's natural environment around Apple Park. Apple's headhunters tracked down Muffly in 2010 after Jobs recognized the quality of the oak trees near the Stanford Dish and asked staff to find the arborist who was caring for them. There are 9,000 trees on the Apple Park campus, of 309 varieties of indigenous species. The planted trees are Oak savanna, Oak wood, and fruit trees including apple, apricot, plum, cherry, and persimmon. An additional 15 acres (6 ha) are used for a native California grassland. Among the apple varieties represented are Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, and Pink Lady, but the McIntosh is notably absent, due to its incompatibility with the area's climate. After he began work in earnest, Muffly realized that fewer than a hundred of the 4,000 existing trees were usable. This meant he had to procure from scratch almost all of the 9,000 planned trees. His team went so far as to search abandoned Christmas tree farms, and Apple bought one at Yermo in the Mojave Desert. Public artworks Sculptural installations such as "Mirage" by the Scottish artist Katie Paterson (with the architects Zeller & Moye) and a mirrored obelisk by the designer Sabine Marcelis can be seen on the grounds of Apple Park. The architecture of the main building itself has also been described as a work of art. Glendenning Barn The land that Apple purchased for the campus came with a barn that was built in 1916 by John Leonard using redwood planks. Leonard married into the Glendenning Family, who immigrated to the United States from Scotland and settled in the area in the 1850s. The Hewlett-Packard Company bought the land on which the barn stood in 1970s and preserved it among a small grove of redwoods. After Apple purchased the property, there were discussions between Apple, the Cupertino Historical Society, and the city of Cupertino as to the fate of the barn. The city's interest in the barn stemmed from its 2004 declaration as a historical site. Apple agreed to keep the barn on the property and is using it to "store maintenance tools and other landscaping materials". The barn was disassembled during the campus construction and then reassembled in a different location from where it was originally located. Inner courtyard The inner courtyard is 30 acres (12 ha), and lush with fruit trees alongside an artificial pond and a café. In the center, there is a rectangular field with several arches that resemble a rainbow when seen from a distance. The rainbow arches were originally a temporary structure designed by Jony Ive for Apple Park's opening celebration on May 17, 2019. The original structure was removed in early 2025, however, a durable, more permanent structure was rebuilt in April of the same year. Reception The design of the Apple Park campus has been called the "ultimate example" of suburban office parks, which have been in decline as companies seek to relocate to urban areas with better transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access. Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit environmental advocacy group, criticized the proposed campus for contributing to existing suburban sprawl, with car-dependent features and waste of expensive real estate that could have been used for affordable housing. The headquarters also gained unfavorable attention when it emerged in 2018 that two workers had been injured and required hospital treatment after walking into the building's clear glass walls and doors. Apple received some criticism for the perceived extravagance of its new headquarters, as well as its perfectionist approach to its design and construction. The use of special wood as a construction material was reported to be the subject of a 30-page guideline. The design of door handles was reported to be the subject of a one-and-a-half-year debate, involving several revisions before the Apple management gave its approval. Apple's desire for custom signage put the company at odds with the Santa Clara County Fire Department, requiring several rounds of negotiations due to fears it could compromise safety in case of emergencies. In her book Brotopia, writer Emily Chang criticized Apple Park for having no daycare facilities for employees' children, despite it ostensibly serving the needs of every individual. References External links "One More Thing: Inside Apple's Insanely Great (Or Just Insane) New Mothership" article, Wired