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SINGAPORE – Apple unveiled its world’s first floating spherical store at Marina Bay Sands on Tuesday (September 8) in a media preview ahead of its official opening on Thursday.
Surrounded by emerald waters and constructed entirely of glass, Apple Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is made up of 114 pieces of reinforced glass held together by 10 narrow mirror-shaped columns known as mullions. Visitors to the store get a 360-degree view of Marina Bay, from the ArtScience Museum to the Marina Bay Financial Center and the open sea, and they find no sharp corners or obstructing columns while inside the orb.
In addition to showcasing Apple products, the interior of the dome houses the Forum, an event space centered around a video wall that will serve as the stage for events in the Apple Store, featuring artists, musicians and creators from Singapore.
Apple Marina Bay Sands, Apple’s third store after Orchard Road and Jewel Changi Airport, also features deflectors (spherical metal strips that act as massive shutters) that shield visitors’ eyes from the sun’s blinding rays and create a night lighting effect.
An oculus or clear space in the ceiling lets in rays of light for a dramatic touch.
Spread over three levels, the MBS store also has an underwater boardroom on its basement level for entrepreneurs and developers to receive training and advice.
The MBS store represents Apple’s unique and ongoing relationship with Singapore, and it is also the culmination of 20 years of Apple retail design globally, Apple’s senior director of global retail Chris Braithwaite told The Straits Times.
“Apple has a deep and rich history in Singapore, having opened our first corporate office (here) nearly 40 years ago in Ang Mo Kio,” said Braithwaite, who worked with global architecture firm Foster + Partners to take the concept of floating. . store from the first sketches in 2013 to final completion earlier this year.
“Singapore is special to us because it is an incredibly vibrant city that has a very clear vision and a continuous flow of passions and ideas that Apple can relate to,” he added.
The MBS store is run by a team of 148 people that includes “Apple Geniuses” who are trained technical support personnel.
The store will open to the public on Thursday starting at 10 a.m. M. With security measures, such as the use of mandatory mask, temperature controls and social distancing. Visits to the MBS store will be by appointment only through this website.
Apple says that each non-transferable online reservation supports only one person, and visitors may have to queue before they can enter the store. From Friday, walk-in visits will also be allowed.
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