When the Opéra (Paris) store opens on Saturday, visitors may be startled to see that it includes none of the usual architectural features of Apple’s previous stores. But then, the waiting line may be more interested in the products. For those who are interested in the design of the company’s newest store, there are plenty of surprises. Photos posted on-line from Thursday’s press event show that architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ) has ditched its usual designs to make a store that eschews branding and favors preservation. The first surprise is that the space is surprisingly small, taking up just 50 feet of the 115-foot face of the building along Rue Halévy. The space represented by two window bays on the right and one on the left of the front doors are used for other purposes, chopping square-footage from the retail space. Inside, the stainless steel and glass are gone, replaced entirely by marble, wrought-iron, stone and wood that match the features and colors of the existing building. Overhead lighting fixtures hang from the ceiling, a significant departure from Apple’s proven architectural design.The main floor is visually interrupted by several square, masonry columns, some narrow to support the ceiling and some thick to support the overhead mezzanine. The thicker columns are clad in veriegated marble for their first six feet, a lighter shade of stone with reddish tints. All the columns have various carved details at their top. Some other stores have columns, but none this dramatically presented.
The entryway and floor areas under the mezzanine are covered with mosaic tile laid in various circular, rectangular and linear patterns. The tiles are mostly gold, blue and red. The flooring in the center of the store is light-colored stone set in the usual 30-inch square, tiled pattern.
The skylight itself is perhaps the most familiar feature—it uses the same glass and mounting hardware as other Apple store skylights. In this case, the view upward through the skylight is limited by the surrounding building.
At the back of the store, two ordinary staircases on both sides rise to the mezzanine level, where the dual Genius Bars are located. The stairways are guarded by black, wrought-iron gates, left over from the original building. The mezzanine ceiling height is limited, perhaps giving the space a slightly claustrophobic feel.
Also at the back, on the right side, is a somewhat-spiral staircase down to the lower level. Again, BCJ has departed from the usual glass and stainless steel design, but retained the circular orientation. The curving balustrade is made of solid brass, and its support structure is black wrought-iron. Both material choices are jarring when compared to other stores with stairs, but match perfectly to this setting.
Those stairs lead to another surprise—a vault of accessories. The basement is a massive-looking set of rooms with thick walls and arched doorways. One of those rooms is a former vault, complete with its massive steel door, which Apple is using as the software and accessories room.
Back on the main level, the rear of the store has tall windows onto the back street, providing additional light and giving the store a more open look.
View a gallery of photos of the exterior of the Opéra district and of the store.
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This is great. I’ve always thought that the Apple brand is so strong that it could and should accommodate architectural adaptive reuse and renovation. This is a nice direction for the company and one I would encourage them to follow whenever appropriate. Hey, why are you not allowed in to the “press receptions?” Does Apple not consider you a journalist? Their bad.
With the exception of all of the interior pillars, this looks like a gorgeous location. Not everything in the stores should have a new, sterile look to it. This is great. Wish I could be there.
I love this store! This is what Apple should be doing with their retail locations! They have the resources to guarantee that buildings like this one and the one on Regent Street aren’t just kept, but restored, and I think that their architects did an outstanding job not trying to force their modern materials on such a historic location. Part of me wishes Chicago had a historic space like this, but let’s be real, there’s nothing like this Opera district in all of America, the age just isn’t there.
-Brian
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