Apple are famous for their technological advancements. They have created some of the most futuristic designs on the planet. They have pushed boundaries and invented products we didn’t even know we needed. It’s no surprise, then, to learnt that they are building one of the world’s most impressive buildings. Apple’s Campus 2 will be home to thousands of employees. It will also be the place that all new products are unveiled and keynote speeches are delivered.
The futuristic design is coupled with another grand claim. Apple are not a company to shy away from grand technology gestures. They claim that its new building will be the greenest on the planet. It will make use of ingenious green technology and operate more efficiently than any other. It’s a bold claim and one that many other buildings have made. It doesn’t open until 2016, so we’ll have to wait to see if it lives up to the hype. Until then, here’s everything we know about Campus 2.
Design
It wouldn’t be Apple without an immaculate, beautiful design. This is no different when it comes to Campus 2. The building will be a huge glass donut shape. The donut will have a circumference of one mile. Every side of the building will be coated with glass, giving it a futuristic, spaceship design. Located in Cupertino, California, it will supercede a Hewlett Packard HQ. Concrete will be removed in favour of a sea of trees. The inside and outside of the donut will be filled with greenery. Cars will be banished below the ground in an underground car park.
The greenest building on the planet?
Apple CEO Tim Cook has made the bold claim that Campus 2 will be the greenest building on the planet. The predicted green technology certainly is impressive. It will make use of 100% renewable energy. Most of this will come from solar panels that integrate perfectly with the glass design. However there will also be wind turbines and other renewable energy sources. It will be built with lightweight, eco friendly materials. This will extend from the offices themselves to the outer canopy designs. No detail has been left without considering a green alternative.
The energy intake of the building certainly is impressive. It will have half the average energy use of a typical office building. It will manage this thanks to clever eco tricks. In place of traditional lighting, it will make use of efficient LED lights. Rather than energy sapping air conditioning, Campus 2 has a sophisticated natural venting system. The entire building will breath. On top of that, Apple are planting 7,000 trees on the campus to offset the carbon impact of the build.
Finally, workers will be encouraged to use bikes at all times. Parking is limited and bikes are provided around the campus. In order to get from place to place, Apple employees will simply hop on a bike. It is everything you would expect from the company that brought us the future. It proves that Apple live and breathe technology throughout every aspect of the company.
