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    Transparency “one of the biggest beasts that we battle” says Apple retail sustainability lead

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    Apple is pushing for carbon transparency in the supply chain as it aims to reduce the impact of its stores, claims the tech company’s retail sustainability lead Rebecca Cully in this interview.

    Created as the latest “evolution of the Apple Store”, Apple’s recently opened location in Battersea includes several material innovations aimed at reducing the shop’s carbon impact. These were sourced with transparency in mind, according to Cully.
    “That transparency piece is one of the biggest beasts that we battle on a regular basis,” she told Dezeen.
    “I think that’s a big reason why finding the right partners, not only in the design space but the construction space and the entire value chain, is just so critical.”
    Apple seeking partners “absolutely committed to transparency”

    Cully explained that Apple is seeking a commitment to transparency from all its construction partners as it aims to meet the company’s wider commitment of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, which will mean not only reducing the impact of its stores, but also its products.
    “There’s so many brilliant products out there in the world, and so many incredible companies that are doing some really interesting things, but as far as innovation is concerned, if we can’t identify a partner who’s absolutely committed to transparency it’s a no-go,” said Cully.
    The Battersea Apple Store incorporated new floor materials and roof bafflesApple is working on building record-keeping of impact and transparency into all its contracts. However, Cully acknowledged that evaluating the full of the impact of all components and materials in its stores is still not possible.
    “Evaluating products by manufacturer for carbon is still very early,” she said. “And so contractually obligating our supply chain manufacturers to disclose that information as a result of award is certainly something that we are focused on right now.”
    “The entire store? I think that’s a little ambitious right now, based on where industry is at,” she continued. “Frankly, we have not gotten to the point where we’re able to control that entire supply chain.”
    “You have to prioritise. For instance, the the nuts and bolts that go into the store are not as significant as our avenues and our ceilings.”
    “Industry is pretty slow to move”
    The recently opened Battersea store, along with the reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, are the first to use an updated set of fixtures and fittings that will be rolled out across other stores.
    These include a timber framework for its walls and room dividers, flooring bound with a bio-polymer and acoustic baffles made from biogenic material.
    “These are very visible, very large components within the store that we knew if we focused on in the original design intent were going to result in a superior outcome from a carbon perspective,” said Cully.
    The store is the latest “evolution” of Apple’s retail designs.Apple’s current strategy with its stores is to focus on the most impactful, often physically largest areas that have traditionally been the most carbon-intensive.
    “So it’s really important that we are giving clear instructions to the folks that are sourcing for us to achieve particular outcomes,” said Cully.
    “That being said, the industry is pretty slow to move in a lot of these cases. So I would say that we are targeting certain elements within the store that are traditionally very high-carbon and very resource-stressed.”
    “We are targeting those manufacturers to make sure that they understand there is an obligation to deliver on transparency that is absolutely accurate.”

    Apple reveals Battersea Power Station store as latest “evolution of the Apple Store”

    Cully also highlighted that one major way that the carbon impact was reduced at its Battersea store was the decision to locate within the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.
    Along with the Apple Store within the former turbine hall, the technology company has placed its UK offices within the former power station.
    “Partnering on a redevelopment project of a brownfield site in and of itself has a tremendous value from the standpoint of carbon emissions avoided as a result of the existing structure,” said Cully.
    “Certainly the partnership that we have with the landlord, was highly strategic in terms of positioning Apple to locate and operate as environmentally considerate as we possibly could.”
    Apple “certainly interested in pushing industry”
    According to Cully, Apple wants to push the construction industry to be more sustainable and noted that the company’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson, has said she “intends to create a playbook that other organisations can follow”.
    “We are certainly interested in pushing industry,” said Cully. “And because of scale, we have an ability to do that and hopefully pave the way to make it a little bit easier for other companies to follow suit – or at least start normalising conversations with manufacturers and industries so that you know, these things become a little bit easier or a little bit more cost effective for other folks to follow suit.”
    “There are a few organisations around the world, I think, that have the ability to invest in this space the way we have, because the market just doesn’t exist.”
    In the past Apple stores have been focused on aesthetics, but Cully believes that the refocus on sustainability and accessibility means the shops align closer with the brand’s values.
    “This evolution of the store is so much more intrinsically linked to our values – it really is approaching the epitome of Apple’s values realised through the retail store space,” said Cully.
    “We have evolved the store from kind of looking like a product, to now fully representing our values in every way that we can, within the context of the built environment itself.”
    However, store fit-outs are far from being Apple’s biggest challenge in the race for carbon neutrality. Currently, 65 per cent of the company’s emissions from its products so this thinking will also need to be replicated in it production supply chains.
    The first Apple Store opened in 2001 and there are now more than 500 around the world. Dezeen recently rounded up 10 of the latest to open.
    The photography is courtesy of Apple.
    Dezeen In Depth
    If you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.

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      Ten Foster + Partners-designed Apple Stores

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      With Apple opening its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the newly renovated Battersea Power Station, our latest roundup spotlights 10 Apple Stores designed by the British architecture studio.

      Apple has been working with Foster + Partners since 2014, when the technology company and architecture studio initiated its almost decade-long relationship to complete a retail location in Istanbul, Turkey.
      Apple describes its first stores as looking “like nothing else”, but is now more focused on renovating and restoring buildings such as its Los Angeles store, Champs-Élysées store and Rome flagship.
      “I think that the evolution of retail for Apple is really interesting – starting with very bold statement with stores that look like nothing else,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple, at the opening of the brand’s Battersea Power Station store.
      “And then over time, you move to the Apple Store being very ubiquitous. And now it’s come around to being a responsibility approach,” he continued. “As we see the rise of Apple in the world and the importance people place on the brand and the values that it represents.”

      With Apple now having stores in 526 locations across the world Dezeen has selected 10 striking recent stores from its archive:

      Battersea Power Station, UK, 2023
      Apple’s most recently opened store is located within the newly renovated Battersea Power Station in London, which marks the technology company’s 40th UK store.
      The store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the power station’s 1930s Turbine Hall A. The interior was organised around four original brick columns and beneath steel roof supports that were left exposed.
      Find out more about Battersea Powerstation Apple store ›

      Mumbai, India, 2023
      India’s first flagship Apple Store contains a wooden canopy made from 450,000 hand-crafted oak elements that form 1,000 triangular ceiling tiles.
      The walls of the store were made from stone sourced from Rajasthan and have a fine grain that is meant to convey the texture of Georgette fabric. It was enclosed by two eight-metre-high glass walls that allow light to flood the double-height interior.
      Find out more about Mumbai Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungBrompton Road, UK, 2022
      An arched timber ceiling with seven-metre tall interiors defines the Brompton Road Apple store in west London. The arched timber ceiling mirrors the profile and shape of the window bays located at the facade of the building.
      The studio removed a mezzanine level from the shop interiors and incorporated six Castagna stone columns, four Ficus trees and a terrazzo floor made from castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass.
      Find out more about Brompton Road Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungAbu Dhabi, UAE, 2022
      Apple’s Abu Dhabi store on Al Maryah Island was built on top of a raised podium and surrounded by a stepped waterfall around all of its four sides.
      The podium the building is set on is pyramid shaped and constructed from black granite stone. The store is accessed via two bridges that extend over the water feature from a waterfront promenade.
      Find out more about Abu Dhabi Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungLos Angeles, US, 2021
      In Downtown Los Angeles, Foster + Partners worked with Apple to renovate a historic 1920s, baroque revival-style movie theatre that was designed by American architect S Charles Lee in 1927.
      The sensitive renovation of the formerly abandoned theatre saw the studio restore its corner clock tower, terracotta facade, exterior canopy, and grand entry hall that is complete with bronze handrails and marble columns.
      Find out more about Los Angeles Apple store ›
      Photo is by Nigel YoungIstanbul, Turkey, 2021
      Two large travertine walls flank the interior of Istanbul’s Bagdat Caddesi Apple store. Benefitting from a column-free interior encompasses two levels with a sunken double-height space at its rear.
      The building is set back from the street and appears to be a single-storey structure as a result of its sunken lower level. The structure was topped with a large overhanging roof.
      Find out more about Istanbul Apple store ›

      Via Del Corso, Italy, 2021
      Another restoration project saw Foster + Partners convert and restore a historic palazzo in Rome, which is located in the centre of the Italian city.
      Palazzo Marignoli was constructed between 1873 and 1878 and served as a home for Italian politician Marquis Filippo Marignoli. Foster + Partners wanted to celebrate the building’s history by restoring and highlighting its grandeur and historic features. Hand-painted patterned ceilings and frescos were restored throughout.
      Find out more about Rome Apple store ›

      Singapore Apple, Singapore, 2020
      Noted as Apple’s “most ambitious retail project”, its Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore is a spherical glass structure that is completely surrounded by water and accessed via a 45-metre-long underwater tunnel.
      The store’s interior is an open-plan space that measures 30 metres wide beneath a self-supporting glass and steel dome, which is made from 114 pieces of glass with 10 steel vertical mullions that provide structural support.
      Find out more about Singapore Apple store ›
      Photo by Bear and TerryBangkok Apple, Thailand, 2020
      Named Apple Central World, this Bangkok store is organised around a timber-clad column and a large overhanging roof that was designed to resemble the canopy of a tree.
      The store has a 24.4-metre diameter with a timber column that is clad in 1,461 slats of European white oak at its centre. The column fans out at ceiling level and adjoins the roof and extends past the glass perimeter of the store, forming a three-metre cantilever over the glazing.
      Find out more about Bangkok Apple store ›

      Miami, US, 2019
      An undulating white concrete roof, which draws on Miami’s art deco buildings, tops the Apple Aventura store that is located in Aventura Mall in the north of Miami.
      The structure is a boxy, two-storey building with glass walls and indoor trees. The roof of the store is made up of seven, precast six-metre-wide white concrete arches to form a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
      Find out more about Miami Apple store ›

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      Apple reveals Battersea Power Station store as latest “evolution of the Apple Store”

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      Technology company Apple has unveiled its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the recently revamped Battersea Power Station in London, which features updated fixtures and furniture.

      Set to open later today, Apple Battersea is the brand’s 40th UK store and represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.
      “We developed this material palette and this fixture set that is really trying to align with like Apple’s goals,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple.
      “This material palette is new for us, it’s an evolution of the Apple Store,” he told Dezeen.
      Apple Battersea opens todayDesigned by UK studio Foster + Partners, the store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the 1930s Turbine Hall A at the former power station, where the studio also designed the technology brand’s offices.

      The shop is arranged around four original brick piers and has steel roof supports exposed on the ceiling. On top of this base, Foster + Partners overlaid a revamped fixture set that Mirsky said “will become familiar over time”.
      Apple Battersea is the second store – after the recently reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, which replaced Apple’s first ever store – to feature the redesigned fixtures.
      It features an updated fixture setAround the edge of the store is an oak framework of shelving that was developed with Foster + Partners.  The timber structure also defines a space dedicated to watches, a pick-up area and a redesigned Genius Bar.
      The Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service along with a lowered area where people can be served sitting down. Along with its standard Parsons tables, which are made from sustainably harvested European oak, the store also has several lowered tables.
      The redesigned Genius Bar has a lower counter”We’ve thought about mobility issues across the whole fixture set,” explained Mirsky. “We have our traditional Parsons table with our standard height, but you notice that the tables in the back are varied and our new genius bar as well.”
      “We have a standing height because the team really prefers to stand and it lets them work with more people and then they can stand at the tables, but customers who want to sit or need to sit can actually use these slightly modified tables,” he continued.
      As part of the focus on mobility, Apple also increased the amount of circulation around the edge of the store.
      There is more space around the edge of the storeAlong with the timber framework, Apple aimed to replace other more carbon-intensive elements in the store with biomaterials.
      The floor, which was first used in the Brompton Road store, was made from aggregates bound together with a bio-polymer, while the acoustic baffles in the ceiling were made from biogenic material.
      The acoustic baffles and bright floor form part of a focus on improving visual and acoustic clarity in the store, with a dark band placed around the base of the walls to provide visual differentiation with the flooring.

      Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as “calm oasis” in London

      “Something I want to point out that is really part and parcel of the material palette, but also goes to our universal design, is the contrast in the store,” said Mirsky.
      “We wanted to make sure we have this really enhanced kind of navigation,” he continued. “So the floor is brightened – it helps us with our low energy – but it also makes it so that you can clearly see the table and the walls are defined.”
      The store has a dedicated pick-up cornerThe fixture set, flooring and ceiling baffles were also used at the Tysons Corner store and Mirsky believes the base can create a feeling of familiarity for Apple’s customers.
      “Each store is really dealt with as a unique circumstance Battersea has this incredible, incredible existing architectural fabric to work in,” he said.
      “We use the same fixture set at Tysons Corner in a mall setting in America which doesn’t have this sort of grand grandiose architecture, but the same fixture set can generate an environment that’s very familiar and welcoming no matter where you are.”
      The store is the latest to open in London, following the Brompton Road store that opened last year, which was designed to be a “calm oasis”. Other recently completed Apple Stores include the band’s first shop in India and a store in Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre.

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      Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as “calm oasis” in London

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      UK studio Foster + Partners has unveiled an Apple Store in west London that incorporates stone columns, Ficus trees and terrazzo flooring.

      Located between the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores in Knightsbridge, Apple Brompton Road is the latest store designed by Foster + Partners for the technology brand.
      Foster + Partners designed Apple Brompton Road. Photo courtesy of AppleIts main entrance occupies the arched entrance to the former Brompton Arcade, which was created in 1903 to connect Brompton Road with Basil Street, with the store occupying two bays on either side that were formerly shops.
      A mezzanine level was removed to create a seven-metre high space that the studio describes as a “calm oasis”.
      It has a seven-metre-high ceiling”Apple Brompton Road is a calm oasis in a bustling and vibrant part of London,” said Foster + Partners senior executive partner Stefan Behling.

      “Customers interact with Apple’s incredible range of products and experience their personalised customer service in a unique setting which incorporates historic and natural elements.”
      Stone columns and trees define a central spaceThe shop is topped with an arched timber ceiling that mirrors the four-meter-wide arched openings on the building’s historic facade.
      A series of six Castagna stone columns, along with four Ficus trees in planters that double as seating, mark out a central spine in the space.

      Ten of the most appealing Apple Stores designed by Foster + Partners

      Timber tables on either side of the central walkway are used to display Apple’s phones and iPads, with accessories displayed in furniture built into the Castagna stone-clad walls.
      At the rear of the store, an event space is defined by a large video wall and a mirrored ceiling.
      The store’s terrazzo floor was made from a castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass. It marks the first time the plant-based resin has been used in an Apple store.
      An events space is located at the rear of the store. Photo courtesy of AppleApple Brompton Road forms part of a wider redevelopment of a block in Knightsbridge, which is being led by UK studio Fletcher Priest. Along with the Apple Store, the reorganised block will include seven shops, a 10,750-square-metre office building and 33 apartments.
      Foster + Partners, which is the UK’s largest architecture studio, has designed Apple Stores in cities all around the world. Recent shops include the conversion of Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre and a “floating” spherical store in Singapore.
      Photography is by Nigel Young unless stated.

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