Apple Park : Apple's New $5 Billion Campus Will Open This April

Apple announced on Wednesday that Apple Park, the company’s new campus, will open to employees in April.

[Image Source: Apple]

Apple Park Opens its Doors

The construction of Apple Park began in 2013, costing Apple $5 billion. Apple planned for its first group to move into the “Spaceship” campus in January 2017, however, this was delayed by several months.

Apple Park will finally be opening its doors to employees this coming April. The moving process is expected to take over six months as 12,000 employees will be transferred to the new campus. The move will not interfere with the ongoing construction required. Construction of other buildings and the parklands will continue through the summer.

Apple Park Facilities

The Apple Park is a ring-shaped facility with many incredible features. The facilities include a 100 000 square foot fitness center, a secure research and development facility and a visitor’s center with an Apple Store and cafe. Additional facilities include 2 miles of walking and running tracks, an orchard, a meadow and a beautiful pond.

Apple Park’s main building is 2.9 million square feet. The building is covered by the world’s largest panels of curved glass.

[Image Source: Apple]

An additional feature of Apple Park is the auditorium which seats 1,000 people. The auditorium is a 20-foot tall glass cylinder supporting a metallic carbon-fiber roof. This incredible piece of architecture has been named the Steve Jobs Theatre. This was done to honor Steve Jobs and his influence on Apple as well as on the world. Steve Jobs would have turned 62 this coming Friday, 24 February.

[Image Source: Apple]

Location

The 175-acre campus is situated in the heart of the Santa Clara Valley, California; a place once loved by Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder. “Steve was exhilarated, and inspired, by the California landscape, by its light and its expansiveness. It was his favorite setting for thought,” said Laurene Powell Jobs.

“Steve’s vision for Apple stretched far beyond his time with us. He intended Apple Park to be the home of innovation for generations to come,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

“The workspaces and parklands are designed to inspire our team as well as benefit the environment," said Cook. Apple Park is surrounded by grassy fields and over 9,000 native and drought-resistant trees.

Steve’s Aspirations

“Steve invested so much of his energy creating and supporting vital, creative environments. We have approached the design, engineering and making of our new campus with the same enthusiasm and design principles that characterize our products,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer.

“Connecting extraordinarily advanced buildings with rolling parkland creates a wonderfully open environment for people to create, collaborate and work together,” said Ive. “We have been extremely fortunate to be able to work closely, over many years, with the remarkable architectural practice Foster + Partners.”

Only The Best

Apple Park will run entirely on renewable energy. It will be powered by 17 megawatts of rooftop solar and is said to run one of the biggest on-site solar energy installations in the world. “We’ve achieved one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world,” said Cook.

[Image Source: Apple]

Apple Park is also the site of the world’s largest natural ventilated buildings. It is said to require no heating or air conditioning for nine months of the year.

“Apple Park captures his spirit uncannily well,” said Laurene Powell Jobs. “He would have flourished, as the people of Apple surely will, on this luminously designed campus.”

[Featured Image Source: Apple]

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