Technology brand Apple has opened its first store in Kuala Lumpur in an underground shop topped with a dome, designed by UK studio Foster + Partners.
Named Apple The Exchange TRX, the Apple Store is set alongside a shopping centre and designed as a transition space between the mall and a surrounding park.
Foster + Partners has topped the building with a domed roof above a glass wall, which is the only part of the store visible from ground level.
The square-based dome is designed to appear like a traditional, rounded dome from certain angles and is covered in louvres to protect the store from the sun.
“Designed as a glazed dome, the 26.5 by 26.5-metre roof transitions seamlessly between square and round geometries from the base to the top,” said the studio.
“Responding to Malaysia’s tropical climate, it is shaded by a series of fins that are carefully angled to control solar radiation,” it continued.
“The roof appears to be solid at the lower levels, becoming more permeable as visitors rise through the store.”
Below the dome, the subterranean store is arranged around a large open atrium, which is surrounded by a viewing gallery.
A display space for the brand’s products and demonstrations is located within it, while further spaces for product display sit on the floor below. The floors are connected by a quartz and glass staircase and the lowest level has an entrance within the mall.
“The project captures the vitality of the city, with a layered roof of stacked solar shading blades that appears to float above the landscape,” said Foster + Partners head of studio Stefan Behling.
“Galleries and walkways provide spectacular views of the natural surroundings and offer unexpected lines of sight through the store at different levels,” he continued.
The store’s grand interior showcases Apple’s innovative product lineups and aims to elevate people’s spirits with the celebration of light and shadow.
Founded by Norman Foster in 1967, Foster + Partners is one of the world’s best-known studios. It has designed numerous stores for Apple since 2014.
Most recently these have included India’s first flagship and a store in Battersea Power Station, which both featured in our roundup of 10 of the most interesting stores designed by the studio.
The photography is by Nigel Young.
