Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as "calm oasis" in London

UK studio Foster + Partners has unveiled an Apple Store in west London that incorporates stone columns, Ficus trees and terrazzo flooring.

Located between the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores in Knightsbridge, Apple Brompton Road is the latest store designed by Foster + Partners for the technology brand.

Foster + Partners designed Apple Brompton Road. Photo courtesy of Apple

Its main entrance occupies the arched entrance to the former Brompton Arcade, which was created in 1903 to connect Brompton Road with Basil Street, with the store occupying two bays on either side that were formerly shops.

A mezzanine level was removed to create a seven-metre high space that the studio describes as a "calm oasis".

Vaulted timber roof at Apple Store in London — It has a seven-metre-high ceiling

"Apple Brompton Road is a calm oasis in a bustling and vibrant part of London," said Foster + Partners senior executive partner Stefan Behling.

"Customers interact with Apple's incredible range of products and experience their personalised customer service in a unique setting which incorporates historic and natural elements."

Stone columns at Apple Brompton Road — Stone columns and trees define a central space

The shop is topped with an arched timber ceiling that mirrors the four-meter-wide arched openings on the building's historic facade.

A series of six Castagna stone columns, along with four Ficus trees in planters that double as seating, mark out a central spine in the space.

Timber tables on either side of the central walkway are used to display Apple's phones and iPads, with accessories displayed in furniture built into the Castagna stone-clad walls.

At the rear of the store, an event space is defined by a large video wall and a mirrored ceiling.

The store's terrazzo floor was made from a castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass. It marks the first time the plant-based resin has been used in an Apple store.

Apple Brompton Road events space — An events space is located at the rear of the store. Photo courtesy of Apple

Apple Brompton Road forms part of a wider redevelopment of a block in Knightsbridge, which is being led by UK studio Fletcher Priest. Along with the Apple Store, the reorganised block will include seven shops, a 10,750-square-metre office building and 33 apartments.

Foster + Partners, which is the UK's largest architecture studio, has designed Apple Stores in cities all around the world. Recent shops include the conversion of Los Angeles' historic Tower Theatre and a "floating" spherical store in Singapore.

Photography is by Nigel Young unless stated.