Future Apple HQ To Use Retail Store Glass Technology

During a presentation to the Cupertino (N. Calif.) city council on Tuesday night, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company’s plans for a future headquarters will rely on curved glass technology developed for its retail stores. If approved, the four-story office building will be about a half-mile from the current headquarters on Infinite Loop, and will resemble a “spaceship,” in Jobs’ words, that is nearly 3,000 feet in circumference. “It’s curved all the way around,” Jobs said. “There’s not a straight piece of glass in this building. We’ve used our experience in making retail buildings all over the world now. We know how to make the biggest pieces of glass in the world for architectural use.” Jobs was referring to the glass cylinder entrance to the Pudong (Shanghai) retail store, whose panels are a record-breaking 40-feet tall. The glass was manufactured in China using technology and machinery developed specifically for the Apple store project. Jobs also referred to hiring the “best architects for the HQ project, but didn’t mention a company name. Speculation is that Foster+Partners designed the new campus, and not Apple’s retail architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The new headquarters building would house about 12,000 employees, many now working in buildings scattered around the current headquarters, including several retail initiative offices. Jobs hopes the company can break ground next year, and move into the new headquarters by 2015.

The future headquarters is a huge circle about 3,000 feet in circumference.