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Apple Store 2 [Converted].png

Which is not fixed,

linear and decorated,

but which derives

its appearance from

its purpose and components.

Where the demands

of society and economy

have led to the expansion

of form and growth

of function complexity,

to create buildings of necessity.

Decentred

Human

Design:

Translating iPhone (engineering) to architecture (Apple Store)

Apple's retail space: 'the Apple Store is the emblem of 'decentred' human design (DHD). The iPhone is the prototype of the Apple Store (Bird, 2018). Adaptable and flexible tectonic elements embedded with advanced technology are constructed to showcase technology, with people becoming activators and collaborators.

 

The 'Hardware' is the physical and visible component of the iPhone's system that houses the software and determines its features, aesthetics, and function. The iOS 'Software' is the inner technology operating system that powers the iPhone hardware, manages all aspects of the device, and provides a platform for the seamless interactions and processes of hardware and software.

​

Iphone with hand_stairs.png

Figure 7: Glass Staircase in Westlake Apple Store by Foster + Partners (Young 2015).

​

The iPhone's hardware is the different components of the Apple Store. The stairs are the RAM; the battery is the system that powers the store; the software is the function of each hardware. The stairs (the RAM) are for circulation, creating harmony in the device for the user's experience (Figure 7). The UI and UX design are the activations of the people that create the intangible, spatial experience, the phenomenological experience, and the atmospheres. The speaker parallels the sound of the store space, the system built for the intangible experience of the user.

​

Figure 6: Façade Elevation of Westlake Apple Store by Foster + Partners (Young 2015).

iPhone's

metal

enclosure

parallels the load-bearing structure of the apple store (Figure 6). The colour 'finish' of the iPhone is the store's façade, the paint, texture, and material. The iPhone's front elevation and internal hardware (Figure 8) resemble the architectural views of the Apple Store's plan (Figure 9). The tables resemble the apps of an iPhone (Figure 10).

​

Figure 8: Left:  iPhone 14 Pro Max Back and Front View (Apple 2022). Right: iPhone 14 Pro Max Internal Architecture (Wiens 2022).

References\

​

Apple. 2019a. New York Exterior crowd Fifth Avenue. edited by New York for the launch of the iPhone 11 series. People waiting outside Apple Fifth Avenue. Apple Newsroom: Apple Inc.

---. 2019b. NY team members welcomes first guests. edited by New York Apple Store team welcoming the first customers purchasing iPhone 11. Apple Newsroom: Apple Inc.

---. 2022. iPhone 14 Pro Max Back and Front View edited by iphone-14-pro-storage-select-202209-6-7inch-deeppurple.jpeg: Apple.

Apple v. Lancaster. California Northern District Court.

Basarir-Ozel, Birgul, Hande Bahar Turker, and Vesile Aslihan Nasir. 2022. "Identifying the Key Drivers and Barriers of Smart Home Adoption: A Thematic Analysis from the Business Perspective." Sustainability 14 (15): 9053.

Bernstein, Ethan, and Ben Waber. 2019. "The Truth About Open Offices." Harvard Business Review.

Bird, John. 2018. "The Store As 'Software': How Apple Reimagined Retail -- Again." Forbes.

Forlano, Laura. 2016. "Decentering the Human in the Design of Collaborative Cities." Design Issues 32: 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1162/DESI_a_00398.

Friedman, Yona. 1958-59. Spatial City Project (Perspective). The Museum of Modern Art: The Museum of Modern Art.

Joel M. Podolny, Morten T. Hansen. 2020. "How Apple Is Organized for Innovation." Harvard Business Review.

Kihlstedt, Folke T. 1984. "The Crystal Palace." Scientific American 251 (4): 132-143. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24969462.

Mandon, Kully, Christopher M Green, Jonathan P Siegel, Edwin Wood, and Andrew Murphy. 2015. TABLE WITH ELECTRICAL PORTS. United States 20150320203, filed Nov. 12, 2015.

Rosenblatt, Joel. 2021. "Apple Sues Ex-Employee Over Alleged Leaked Secrets to Media." Bloomberg, 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-11/apple-sues-ex-employee-over-secrets-allegedly-leaked-to-media#xj4y7vzkg.

Rouillard, Dominique. 2018. "Editorial: Megaspace structure Yona Friedman and Eckhard Schulze – Fielitz." Histories of Postwar Architecture 1 (3): 3-18. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0075/8965. https://hpa.unibo.it/article/view/8965.

Seabrook, John. 2021. "Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever?" The New Yorker.

Statista. 2022. Smart Home - Worldwide. https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/smart-home/worldwide.

Wiens, Kyle. 2022. iPhone 14 Pro Max Internal Architecture. edited by 14 pro max inside: iFixit.

Young, Nigel. 2015. Glass Staircase in Westlake Apple Store by Foster + Partners. edited by Foster + Partners Westlake Apple Store. Divisare: Foster and Partners.

Copyright © 2022 by Jenny Hwang. All rights reserved.

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