Architecture is not like software or consumer hardware -- you can't remove big ugly "things" (like a roof) and simply design and engineer around them. You can only take minimalism so far.
Visually displeasing roofs serve a core purpose -- sound absorption, ventilation, heating, air conditioning, security, smoke detection, and fire prevention. With an all glass roof and glass walls, that store must be like a giant echo chamber, not to mention really smelly and stuffy after a full day of foot traffic. Really surprising oversight by everyone involved, or a classic case of "launchpad chicken" like mentioned in the article.
I think Apple's "design-first" philosophy works great in some circumstances. They spend millions of dollars [1] on lasers to poke holes in aluminum so light will shine through, all for the beauty of a seamless surface. Unfortunately their building design needs some check and balances
> I think Apple's "design-first" philosophy works great in some circumstances.
Isn't "ensuring functionality is complete /and/ beautiful" the sorta corner piece of design? I mean, it sounds like you're describing 'design' here as aesthetics, and saying Apple's problem is that they went for pretty, while ignoring function. The latter part is true, but the real problem here is that it's not well designed. And had Apple's "design-first" philosophy been followed ... this whole thing might not have happened.
Really? I picked up a Macbook Air from that store today, and while I was waiting for the Apple employee to come with my computer, I just stared at the ceiling. It really is gorgeous. The natural sunlight flooding the place is also lovely (lights are one thing that universally suck, and I'm surprised I don't meet more designers ranting about it. 99% of buildings have shitty indoor lighting)
Specifically, I read an internal eye-tracking study for a major retailer that found that consumers don't look up when searching for something specific, so all the over-head signage the retailer had just purchased was essentially useless.
Visually displeasing roofs serve a core purpose -- sound absorption, ventilation, heating, air conditioning, security, smoke detection, and fire prevention. With an all glass roof and glass walls, that store must be like a giant echo chamber, not to mention really smelly and stuffy after a full day of foot traffic. Really surprising oversight by everyone involved, or a classic case of "launchpad chicken" like mentioned in the article.
I think Apple's "design-first" philosophy works great in some circumstances. They spend millions of dollars [1] on lasers to poke holes in aluminum so light will shine through, all for the beauty of a seamless surface. Unfortunately their building design needs some check and balances
[1] - http://gizmodo.com/5856402/how-apples-supply-chain-dominance...