Foster + Partners flanks Istanbul Apple store with travertine stone walls

Foster + Partners flanks Istanbul Apple Store with travertine stone walls

Architecture studio Foster + Partners has designed an Apple Store in the heart of Istanbul that is flanked with two stone walls.

Located on Istanbul's Bagdat Caddesi, a busy shopping destination in the centre of the city, the store is technology company Apple's third retail location in the city. Its first store in the city opened in 2014 in the Zorlu Centre.

Apple store Bagdat Caddesi has a glazed facade — Top: the Foster + Partners-designed store is located on a busy shopping street in Istanbul. Above: the store has a glazed facade. The photo is courtesy of Apple.

Foster + Partners set the store back from the street and built a column-free, two-level structure with a fully glazed facade. From street level, the store appears as though it is a single-storey building topped with an overhanging roof.

The interior is flanked by two large walls built from local travertine stone while floor-to-ceiling glass connects the two walls to form the store's facades.

Interior view of retail space at the Apple Bagdat Caddesi store — The store was flanked by two travertine stone walls and has a column-free interior

The entrance to the store was placed at the centre of the glazed wall and was marked by an illuminated Apple logo.

Aksaray Yaylak Granite stonework, used across the street's paving, was continued through to the interior of the store to create a "gentle transition" into the space as well as a visual connection with the street.

Stools fill the forum style space at the Apple Bagdat Caddesi Store — A staircase leads visitors down into a double-height space at the rear. Photo courtesy of Apple.

Three rows of tables were placed on top of the street-paved floors and recessed display units were built into the travertine walls hosting Apple's latest products.

Glimpses of a tree-lined view at the rear of the store draws visitors to a large double-height space that is framed by a rear, 9.7-metre glazed wall.

A large stone staircase, also made from local travertine, was built along the right side of the store and leads visitors to the lower level that houses a forum-style space.

The double-height space looks out onto the tree-lined gardens that surround the store, while a concealed lower level I located under the ground floor space.

Interior view of the Apple Bagdat Caddesi store's two levels — There is a second floor below the street level

Publicly accessible green spaces were organised along three sides of the store, with the rear garden enveloped by a tall green hedge.

The building was topped with a green roof to insulate the interior as well as a rainwater harvesting system for the irrigation of plants and the recycling of used water.