Design of Apple's New Glass-clad Headquarters Focuses on Collaboration, Energy-efficiency

An overview of a model of Apple's proposed new campus.

For its new headquarters, Apple plans to flip a 175-acre site in the Cupertino region of Silicon Valley, currently covered in asphalt and buildings, into open space and parkland, then drop a ring-shaped building of polished glass into the middle of it all, according to an Oct. 11 San Jose Mercury News report. The design proposal went before the Cupertino City Council Tuesday, Oct. 15 for an initial vote.

The headquarters, Apple Campus 2, is intentionally designed by architect Norman Foster in a circle for the purpose of collaboration and fluidity.

"We found that rectangles or squares or long buildings or buildings with more than four stories would inhibit collaboration," Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer, said in the report. "We wanted this to be a walkable building, and that's why we eventually settled on a circle.''Along with a collaborative environment, the new building also emphasizes an eco-conscious environment.

"This will be one of the most environmentally sustainable developments on this scale anywhere in the world,'' said Dan Whisenhunt, Apple's director of real estate and facilities, in the report. "A building like this will use 30 percent less energy than a typical corporate building in the Valley. And that's 100 percent renewable energy, which is unheard of on this scale, with most of it produced on-site.''

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