APPLE STORE JING AN TEMPLE

Apple’s Jing An Plaza flagship store marks the company’s 8th retail location in Shanghai and 2nd largest in the world. This site, and the very heart of Jing An, presents an expansive and thoughtful renovation of the district’s most iconic public square, which not only elevates the curb appeal of the store itself, but transforms the square into an active urban hub, event space and transit interchange.

Situated directly between two historic landmarks – Jing An Temple and Jing An Park – the design of the plaza - first and foremost – aims at being sensitive to the cultural significance of this site. Enforcing humility and visual harmony, the design assures that the celebrated view corridors between these two cultural landmarks remain unobstructed.

While the plaza itself adopts many modern materials that are associated with the Apple retail brand, such as their trademark Padang Grey granite, high-grade metal finishes, and super-white glass, other details reinforce the site’s sense of place. Timber seating on the amphitheatre offers comfort to visitors while also referencing to the material palette of Jing An Temple. The low, broad Japanese maples used extensively on the upper square preserve the views of the Temple while offering ample shade, a brilliant autumn spectacle and an extension of Jing An Parks green canopy. Finally, Podocarpus macrophyllus (Japanese Yew) was chosen as the dominant shrub for the project given that it is commonly seen within Buddhist temples in China. Similarly, the plaza’s lighting has been decidedly kept soft and static, allowing the illuminated Temple to take centre stage at night.

To reflect Apple’s passion for unparalleled design, every detail in the project has been thoughtfully considered and executed with great care. This commitment to excellence has created a new urban space that is timeless, robust and respectful of its place within the heart of this vital civic and cultural hub.