Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) on Thursday revealed a scale model of its new "spaceship" campus, which, if approved by the Cupertino City Council on Oct. 15, is slated for completion in either 2015 or 2016.
"The concept of the building is collaboration and fluidity," Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer told the San Jose Mercury News in an exclusive interview, echoing sentiments from Apple executives Sir Jony Ive and Craig Federighi from their interview late last month. "It'll provide a very open-spaced system, so that at one point in the day you may be in offices on one side of the circle and find yourself on the other side later in the day."
For its new spaceship campus, Apple essentially plans to flip its current 175-acre site, which Oppenheimer calls a "sea of asphalt" as the former Hewlett Packard campus is composed of 80 percent asphalt (you can take a virtual tour of the building here), and transform the area that's 80 percent open space and parkland, and drop a giant ring of polished glass right in the middle of it.
Renderings and drawings of the new Apple spaceship campus first appeared in late 2011, which described a "distinctive and inspiring 21st century workplace" that consisted of 2.8 million square feet over four stories to accommodate up to 13,000 Apple employees, with a mostly subterranean parking lot to help preserve the beauty of the site's natural surroundings.
Prior to his death in October 2011, Apple founder Steve Jobs had a chance to present the new Spaceship campus to the Cupertino City Council. The renderings and full scale model were built with the architectural expertise of Sir Norman Foster and his team at Foster + Partners.
"It's a pretty amazing building," Jobs said. "It's a little like a spaceship landed. It's got this gorgeous courtyard in the middle. It's a circle. It's curved all the way around. If you build things, this is not the cheapest way to build something. There is not a straight piece of glass in this building. It's all curved. We've used our experience making retail buildings all over the world now, and we know how to make the biggest pieces of glass in the world for architectural use. And, we want to make the glass specifically for this building here. We can make it curve all the way around the building… It's pretty cool."
Oppenheimer was present at a two hours-plus meeting with the Cupertino City Council -- but there's no better way to understand how the new Apple spaceship campus will work than to see it in action. Thanks to Apple and the San Jose Mercury News, we've accumulated a set of 25 photos and renderings of the new Apple spaceship campus, and we'd like to show those to you now. Enjoy.
Another early rendering of the Apple spaceship campus, which is slated for completion in either 2015 or 2016.  Courtesy / Apple
The full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA close-up of the full scale model for the new Apple spaceship campus shows tables, chairs, and plenty of space. The roof is also adorned with black solar panels.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupApple's proposed new spaceship campus shows a road leading to an underground parking space, which would help preserve the area's natural beauty.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupLate Apple founder Steve Jobs said the new Apple spaceship campus would not include a single straight piece of glass.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA look inside the full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus included a parking structure, which is mostly underground, with moss growing on the sides and solar panels on the roof.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA look inside the full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupApple's Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, left, and Dan Whisenhunt, Senior Director of Real Estate and Facilities at Apple.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA close-up of the wellness and fitness center proposed for the new Apple spaceship campus, which is slated for completion in 2015 or 2016.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA close-up of the full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows how the parking lot would be mostly subterranean.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupA close-up of the full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows a new theatre for meetings and presentations. Apple has only held a handful of product presentations at its Cupertino headquarters.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows how parts of the underground parking structures would overlook Interstate 280 in California.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThis close-up of the full scale model of the new spaceship campus proposed by Apple shows the road leading into the subterranean parking structure.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupFor its new spaceship campus, Apple plans to install trees and greenery into the center of the all-glass ring for better air flow.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus also shows a few different buildings on the perimeter of the campus designated for research and development.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupApple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, left, and Dan Whisenhunt, the senior director of real estate and facilities at Apple, reveal the full scale model of the new spaceship campus for Apple, slated for completion in 2015 or 2016.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows off the all-glass enclosure.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupAnother look inside the full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows off a new transit center.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus shows off four floors and 2.8 million square feet of space, with a roof adorned with solar panels.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupAnother look at the parking structure planned for the new spaceship campus at Apple in Cupertino, Calif.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News GroupThe full scale model of the new Apple spaceship campus.  Courtesy / Dai Sugano, Bay Area News Group
Apple this weekend also updated its project plan for its new spaceship campus, which includes solar roofing to help power the building.
PROPOSED PROJECT The proposed project is the redevelopment of the approximately 176-acre project site into a new campus for Apple, Inc. (Apple). Apple is a corporation, established in Cupertino in 1976, that designs and markets consumer electronics, consumer software, and personal computers.
The project site currently comprises buildings with office and research and development uses1 which would be replaced as part of the proposed project. The campus would be self-contained and would include office, research and development space, parking, employee amenities, and a central utility plant. In addition, a segment of Pruneridge Avenue would be vacated by the City to allow for the development of a unified and secure campus. The Glendenning Barn, currently located north of Pruneridge Avenue, would be relocated to an on- or off-site location. As part of the project, Apple would also undertake changes to local roadways in the vicinity of the site. The project designer is the architectural and planning firm Foster + Partners, headed by Norman Foster. The landscape designer is OLIN, a landscape architecture and planning firm, headed by Laurie Olin.
The project would result in the demolition of all structures within the project site (consisting of approximately 2,657,000 square feet of building space) and the ultimate construction of 3,420,000 square feet of office, research, and development uses; 245,000 square feet of auditorium, fitness center, and Valet Parking Reception uses; 92,000 square feet of utility plants; and parking and ancillary buildings (such as security receptions and landscape maintenance buildings). Proposed buildings are designed to be energy efficient and to use renewable energy, much of which would be produced on-site (via photovoltaic infrastructure and fuel cells). Please refer to Chapter III, Project Description, for additional detail.