Apple's Zorlu Center store in Istanbul wins design and engineering accolades
When Apple works closely with both architect and engineer on flagship retail stores, the result can be magical. That's the case with the Apple Store Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Turkey, which won a pair of awards at The Institution of Structural Engineers (ISE) Structural Awards 2014.
The store, described as the Glass Lantern, won both the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence and the award for best Commercial or Retail Structure for 2014. The Supreme award is given for the "finest example of structural engineering design" in a particular year.
The 20,000 square foot Zorlu Center store opened earlier this year as the first Apple Store in Turkey, and was a collaboration of Apple, architects Foster + Partners, and Eckersley O'Callaghan. Located in an open area of the mall, the building features a cubic design with glass sides and a carbon fibre reinforced plastic roof. According to the award comments:
The judges found this to be a supreme example of collaboration between engineer and fabricator to achieve an outstanding, architecturally minimalist structure. The use of single panes of toughened laminated glass to support a lightweight ultra-thin CFRP roof without connections other than structural silicone, takes structural glass technology into a new dimension. A project where only engineering excellence and attention to detail can produce a result of such simplicity and purity of expression.
Previously, the Apple Store Upper West Side (NYC) received an ISE commendation in 2010 for Commercial or Retail Structures.
