flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New $5 Billion Apple Headquarters Has a Glass Problem

Glass and Glazing

New $5 Billion Apple Headquarters Has a Glass Problem

The substantial use of glass on the interior of Apple Park has caused headaches for some employees, literally.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | March 5, 2018
Apple Headquarters Building - New $5 Billion Apple Headquarters Has a Glass Problem

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Apple Park, the $5 billion Apple headquarters building in Cupertino, Calif., is as futuristic an office as you are likely to find. In order to create a sleek, futuristic aesthetic for employees, the complex’s design incorporated an extensive amount of glass walls and partitions. While the glass helps to create an open, airy floor plan, there appears to be an unintended consequence to all of the transparent walls.

As CBS San Francisco reports, employees are having difficulty seeing the glass walls and, as a result, are running into them, often times injuring themselves. That’s right, while some new buildings such as U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota have had issues with their extensive use of glass proving harmful to bird populations, Apple’s new campus is proving just as difficult to navigate for its human employees.

On more than one occasion calls have been placed to 911 describing employees that are bleeding or disoriented after colliding with the partitions. The current solution for the deleterious walls has been to stick small white stickers on the glass panes to help make them more visible. Whether a more permanent solution will be found remains to be seen.

Related Stories

Curtain Wall | Nov 4, 2015

Curved glass curtains will give Washington, D.C., office building more views and floor space

Around 900 fluted glass panes will cover 2050 M Street, which will contain television studios for CBS.

Glass and Glazing | Oct 19, 2015

Safti First completes $6 million expansion in U.S. manufacturing operations

Being the first fully vertically-integrated fire rated glazing USA-manufacturer enables Safti First to provide the fastest lead times, most competitive prices and best coordination

Glass and Glazing | Sep 10, 2015

As commercial construction booms, glass supply is lagging demand

Manufacturers are frantically restarting plants they mothballed during the economic downturn.

BIM and Information Technology | Aug 28, 2015

MIT researchers develop 3D printer that produces intricate glass structures

The machine uses molten glass as its “ink,” contained in a “kiln cartridge” that heats up at 1,900 degrees until it is molten and pliable.

Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Aug 17, 2015

Specialty tempered glass??

Tempered glass is an excellent choice for large expanses of glass that maximize clear views while providing significant wind load and thermal stress resistance.

Codes and Standards | Aug 6, 2015

AAMA updates methods for testing of exterior walls

The standard specifies test methods, specifications, and field checks to evaluate structural adequacy of exterior wall systems composed of curtain walls, storefronts, and sloped glazing.

Cultural Facilities | Jul 16, 2015

Louisville group plans to build world's largest disco ball

The sphere would more than double the size of the current record holder.

Glass and Glazing | Jun 4, 2015

Construction of record breaking glass-bottom bridge nearly complete in China

Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the white bridge is meant to look as if it is “disappearing into the clouds.”

Glass and Glazing | Mar 15, 2015

Building tech breakthrough: Vacuum insulated panels keep University of Alaska students cozy in sub-zero temps

In a first-of-its-kind curtain wall installation, triple-pane VIP glass panels provide an astonishing R-40 insulation value at the university's new student union in Fairbanks. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021