I think, by now, most people would have heard of the latest Apple retail store in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. For those who don’t already know, that is the third Apple retail store in Singapore. What makes this store such a surprise is, it is the third store for a country with under 6 million people and a land mass of a very tiny 721.5 square kilometers (279 square miles).
To put things in perspective, Taiwan has just two Apple retail stores serving over 23 million people residing in a land mass of 36,193 square km (13,974 square miles), while Austin, Texas (of about 700+ square km/270+ square miles) has just two stores. Then again, Austin is significantly less populous. But that’s not the point. The point, it is an indication of the the country’s and the region’s power to spend.
News about the third store only surface just a couple of week before it was officially open on Thursday, September 10. No surprises that no one knew that the all-glass dome sitting on the water is going to be an Apple store.
Speaking of which, Apple Marina Bay Sands is Apple’s most ambitious retail project to date. And yes, it sits on the waters of Marina Bay. It has 3 floors, starting from the Basement 2 of Marina Bay Sands, and ending with the dome on the 1st floor that offers an uninterrupted 360-degree panoramic views of the cityscape.
The dome is a first-of-its-kind, all-glass spherical structure that is full self-supported. It is made up of 114 pieces of glass with only 10 narrow vertical mullions for structural connection.
The store is a partially underwater store with its entrance to the store located at the basement 2 of MBS. Patrons actually moved through a structure below water before emerging into the dome.
The store is also home of the Apple’s first underwater Boardroom where entrepreneurs and developers receive training and advice from Apple team members. I am not super fan of Apple, but I sure am liking this unique architecture. From the surface, the dome is quite a sight to behold.
Apple Store Marina Bay Sands is not the first underwater-to-water surface store in Marina Bay Sands, though. Louis Vuitton Boutique MBS, which is located a stone’s throw away, share the same concept.
All images by Mikeshouts.com.
