The most beautiful Apple stores in Asia

Located in the Chaoyang district of the capital city, this Apple store is an arresting structure that demands more than a few quick glances. After designing a handful of other stores, Foster + Partners, friends of the brand, were the obvious choice for this Chinese monolith. Designed like an envelope that cocoons you within its 10-metre-high glass panels, Sanlitun will make you fall in love with architecture through its captivating ambience that seamlessly blends the interior with its exterior.

If the colossal construction was not already awe-inspiring from its façade, its thoughtfully-planned inner layout is what’ll keep you lingering inside the space, even if you didn’t plan on it. A viewing gallery provides customers with an outside vantage point of the store. A dedicated boardroom for meetings with local entrepreneurs and businesses is also present. Apart from these features, Sanlitun also houses a forum to showcase Beijing’s greatest creatives and is the first of its kind to use an integrated solar roof in China.

(Image  credit: Apple)

If you manage to get past the giant mushrooming 80-foot glass enclosure, chances are this Bangkok installation will keep you mesmerised with its cantilevered Tree Canopy roof, its winding staircase, and its central timber core made from 1,461 European white oak profiles. Located in the busy urban centre of the Ratchaprasong shopping district, this retail store by Apple is another architectural marvel created by Foster + Partners in collaboration with local entities Architects 49 Ltd.

(Image  credit: Apple)

The architects from Foster + Partners knew their creation needed to be a spectacle against Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands skyline. Naturally, the execution could not be anything short of exemplary. Reminiscent of a giant floating lantern, this store takes the shape of a glass dome building over 2.7 m in diameter and features 114 glass panels carefully selected and held in place with structural support from 10 vertical mullions. Panoramic views are abundant the second you enter the ringed structure. The panels are designed to regulate both the sun and shade, creating a rhythmic atmosphere that even allows for an acoustic absorption of ambient noise. Futuristic, and sleek, Marina Bay Sands reserves a top spot on the list of the most beautiful Apple stores in Asia.

(Image  credit: Apple)

The title of Southeast Asia’s first Apple store definitely carries some weight considering when the brand’s Orchard Road store opened its doors, the craze for Apple was at an all-time high, especially in Singapore. The country had just recorded the highest penetration of smartphones in the world and customers were already well-versed with Apple’s coveted products.

While some visitors waited eagerly from the night before, Apple Orchard Road saw 237 employees ushering in the eager crowds on the morning of May 27, 2017. The massive 36.5-metre glass facade separated the customers from the bystanders, while 16 trees lined up inside the massive interior space. Besides being home to an assortment of products, the store also features the tech giant’s ‘Today at Apple’ programme, with workshops, events, and in-store classes available for local talent. The Singapore-based programme focuses on photography, film, coding, music, art, and design.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Pushing the boundaries of design and innovation, Apple’s Dubai Mall iteration reinvents what a store inside a mall could be. The 186-foot glass storefront arches its way in front of the Dubai Fountain and has been inspired by the movement of a falcon. Taking an engineering leap, this store also incorporates solar panels shaped in the form of wings, emblematic of the mighty creature. These solar wings, reinforced with 340 carbon fibre polymer rods and 18 panels, demonstrate an effervescence in design alongside providing a theatrical experience. The store spans two floors, and its innovative solar wings open during sunset hours to reveal spellbinding views of the promenade.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Speaking of iconic, the brand’s Shanghai outlet can be considered one of the most beautiful Apple stores in Asia, simply owing to its columnar glass structure which stands tall amidst the amphitheatrical space. While the main store is concealed below ground in the Pudong district of the capital, it is the size of it which astonishes. Featuring over 1,486 sq m of space, the store has been designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architecture, the firm credited with building the archetypical Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Only earlier this year, Apple decided India needed its first store. Out came the architects over at Reliance Jio World Drive to give customers the most sustainable retail space ever created by Apple. Designed to be one of the most energy-efficient locations in the world,  the BKC store is operationally carbon neutral with a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels.

Apple BKC spotlights a triangular handcrafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade to the underside of the exterior canopy.  The unique geometry of the store finds inspiration from the Indian landscape. Each tile is made from 408 pieces of timber, forming 31 modules per tile with a total of 1,000 tiles that make up the ceiling. There are over 450,000 individual timber elements, all of which were assembled in Delhi. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan and a 14-metre-long stainless steel staircase connecting the ground level and the cantilevered mezzanine. Additionally, 100 team members collectively speaking over 20 languages are always available to guide you, be it for your next iPhone purchase or the Apple Trade-In program.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Located in the heart of the Marunouchi business district, this Apple store delectably combines minimalism with a side of verdant greenery. The unique facade with two-story vitrine windows is specially developed from cast aluminium in order to obtain three-dimensional rounded corners. Inside, native bamboo lines the window openings to create a truly magnificent space that peers outside ever-so-deceptively. The double-height atrium in the heart of the store connects both levels, while the outlet supports 130 team members speaking a total of 15 languages.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Creating a large structural glass facade free of steel might have been a significant technical challenge in a seismically active region like Japan, but architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson found an innovative solution. A base isolation system minimises the effects of earthquakes which would otherwise render this ethereal design infeasible. The two-level Omotesando store features a sculptural stainless steel-clad roof cantilevered over a grand room dedicated to displaying only Apple products. Thirty-foot-high glass walls on three sides open up the interior space to daylight and unobstructed views of the tree-lined streets. A towering stone wall provides visual and structural weight to the space while creating a sweet spot amidst the surrounding urban activity. Elements of greenery are used to embellish the open spaces around the storefront.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Located in the bustling Xinyi district of Taipei, Apple’s Taiwanese offering undoubtedly reserves a spot on the list of most exquisite stores delivered by the tech brand. It features a two-story, free-standing pavilion design with a cascading carbon fibre-reinforced roof. Inside, two unique, marble composite stairs descend to the lower level, creating an unhindered canvas of white. Similar to their other outlets, this Apple Store also finds itself lined with bonsais, which inevitably lend it a greener, more natural atmosphere.

(Image  credit: Apple)

Serving as Apple’s largest storefront in South Korea, this outlet, located in the busy neighbourhood of Myeongdong, is a marvel made from glass and wood. Offering visitors a small haven from the hustle of the street outside, landscaped pocket gardens flank both corners of the store, and include commissioned sculptures created by Korean artists Jaehyo Lee and VAKKI. Greenery flows into the space, with a shaded grove of trees lining the front. Apple Myeongdong also features the first installation of a horizontally supported double-height glass façade.

The second floor provides ample gathering space for the various activities available here.  Integrating locally sourced hanji paper shades, the boardroom offers an intimate setting for more business-related proceedings. Transparent and developed through glass risers, the staircase forms an alluring part of the interior design.

(Image  credit: Apple)

The world-renowned Gangnam district in Seoul found its new permanent fixture with the expansive Apple outlet. Discovering Apple’s incredible lineup of products and services only gets a lot more interesting, once you enter the minimalist, white-centric space. A large wooden wall contrasts with the transparent elements, creating a confluence of textures and colours. “Apple Gangnam is designed with materials sourced from the region, including the tables, wood feature wall, logo, façade glass, stone walls, and flooring. Like all Apple facilities, Apple Gangnam and Apple’s operations in South Korea run on 100 percent renewable energy and are carbon neutral,” read the brand’s official release statement. Additionally, in the initial days after its debut, music fans were also able to experience the magic of spatial audio in a limited-time pop-up studio, featuring the rising K-pop group, NewJeans.

(Image  credit: Apple)

This story originally appeared on Prestige Malaysia