Foster + Partners unveils design for Apple Store on Chicago River
By Mike Chamernik, Associate Editor
Prairie School was the building style that was popular in the early 1900s in the Midwest. Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses and other structures with distinctive flat roofs and overhanging eaves, resulting in a minimalistic look that complemented its landscape.
Foster + Partners borrowed from that school of thought. Chicago’s newest Apple Store will have a large, flat roof and transparent walls, as Curbed Chicago and the Chicago Tribune report.
The 20,000-sf store will have two levels, with a street-level entrance and an underground sales area. Next to the building will be an outdoor staircase that leads to the riverwalk.
Visitors will get views of the adjacent Chicago River and the city’s many towers. The site is at the south end of Chicago’s popular Magnificent Mile shopping district.
Construction will begin in 2016. The store will replace a vacant food court.
