The future Halsted Street (Chicago) Apple store would have a tall, sweeping wall of stainless steel, backed by a slice of glass allowing a view to the inside, and bordered by water fountains, a parking lot and landscaping–but only if design contest winner Chen Shi Jun of Shaoxin (China) was in charge of the final architectural design. Chen’s design beat out 11 other amazing entries in the contest, and will receive a $100 Apple gift card. His design melded the materials, branding and other features of current stores, took them to another level, and then added in street-level features to make the store an inviting place outside. Chen’s detailed renderings show a two-level store that takes full use of the odd-shaped space on Chicago’s north side, but also a design that finds room for curves, glass and other features that avoid creating a blocky, monolithic presence. Apple’s brand is carried by the familiar back-lit logo on the second level of the Halsted-Clybourn Avenue corner, and by a tall tower with a rotating sign at Halsted-West North Avenue. The storefront along Halsted features a tall expanse of glass, while the Clybourn side accommodates 19 parking spaces. Slicing through the middle of the store is an eight-foot panel of glass, allowing customers some visibility of the sky, and passersby a peek into the store’s interior.
Chen is in the design industry, specializing in commercial and exterior work, including malls and shopping centers. He lives in Hangzhou, about 110 miles southwest of Shanghai on the west coast of China.
Other entries in the store design contest show admirable imagination, including roof-top gardens, Apple-shaped building elements, and glass designs that resembled the Fifth Avenue (NYC) cube. Some of the designs were remarkably detailed, even including Genius Bar stools and other interior features.
Congratulations to Chen, and thanks to everyone who entered the contest, and whose designs provide insights into how Apple’s own architecture could evolve to reveal new perspectives.
View the full album of entries to see what other designers created, and to see more of Chen’s renderings.
Looking northwest, the design presents an Apple logo on the edge of an up-sweeping wall of stainless steel. The curving walls reduce the mass and weight of the two façades. (by Chen Shi Jun)
The back of the store has an unusual design for an Apple store--a parking lot. Water fountains and a tall sign pedestal complete the W. North Ave. side of the building. (by Chen Shi Jun)
View southwest across Halsted St., showing the upward sweeping wall, the glass storefront and the sign pedestal. (by Chen Shi Jun)
This view shows the curve and two-level slice of glass about 8-feet wide through the middle of the store. (by Chen Shi Jun)
