Foster + Partners recently announced the opening of Apple’s first flagship store in India, Apple BKC, located at the Jio World Drive shopping district in the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The store showcases locally sourced materials, innovative design, and a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor spaces.
Designed by Foster + Partners, Apple BKC represents Mumbai’s innovative spirit with finely made components, locally sourced materials, and abundant flora. The store’s interior and exterior borders are porous, allowing vegetation from the street to seep inside. The 8-meter-high glass facade furthers this fluid transition between the spacious, multi-height interior and the surrounding landscape, with a series of ficus trees running down the inside of the glass to emphasize the connection to its planted surroundings.
The store’s ground level displays a range of Apple products along aisles and display tables. The Forum, a multipurpose event, and instructional area feature a massive video wall that airs “Today at Apple.” Visitors’ eyes are drawn to the acoustically brilliant white feature wall surrounded by a colonnade.
A stunning staircase, constructed of stainless steel and two 14-meter-long glass railings, connects the ground floor and the overhanging mezzanine. From the upper floor, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view of the public plaza and its manicured surroundings below.
Apple BKC is a harmonious blend of local craftsmanship and Apple’s signature aesthetic. The handmade timber ceiling continues past the glass façade and up the lower portion of the outer canopy, emphasizing the seamless transition between indoors and outdoors. The store’s intricate triangular grid ceiling, constructed of 450,000 individual timber parts, reflects the building’s distinctive architectural design. Inspired by Mumbai’s cane and rattan artisans, each of the thousand ceiling tiles is constructed from 400 pieces of environmentally friendly oak timber in a grid-like woven form.
The building’s exterior features a double-height glass façade mirrored internally by two stone walls that beckon visitors inside. The stone, sourced from Rajasthan, has a fine grain reminiscent of the smooth texture of expensive georgette fabrics. To achieve a LEED Platinum certification, the Apple BKC store utilizes solar energy generated by a system specifically designed for that purpose.
