APPLE STORE SHANGHAI IFC PLAZA

This retrofit of Apple’s first flagship store in China embraces their commitment to creating welcoming, human-scale urban spaces in iconic locales.

Sitting within the sunken plaza of the landmark IFC mall in the financial hub of Lujiazui, an innovative pure glass drum serves as a beacon to call attention to the subterranean store below.

The plaza surrounding the drum has been completely reconsidered. Whereas the original space featured a simple reflection pool circumventing the drum, the new design introduces a ring of 10 full sized Ilex Rotunda trees that embrace the drum and generous seating opportunities for store visitors and the public in general. As a result, the drum - and illuminated Apple logo - seemingly arise from within this micro-forest.

The detailing and quality of the space is unmistakably “Apple” in both its design and execution. Although they seem to effortlessly float in the space, the benches that house each pair of trees have been robustly engineered to support the large trees in typhoon conditions. The benches are clad in exquisite Marina Verde granite and teak timber, and feature soft rounded corners and edges, ensuring comfort and longevity. The tree bracing - although temporary - has also been thoughtfully considered, and employ a minimalist design, with high-grade cables securing each tree to elegant yet robust eyelets that borrow design elements from Apple’s own product line.

Each tree was carefully sourced from and positioned on-site by WAA’s team to ensure safe clearance heights and clear sightlines to the surrounding shops. The end result is an urban space that is well-balanced, user friendly, and highly refined; in other words, undeniably Apple.