That Steve Jobs was something of a perfectionist is a well-known fact. His habit of paying attention to detail would often border on the obsessive, the kind that Amir Khan would be proud to emulate. Now, it looks like his persnickety attitude is reaching out from beyond his grave and serving as a guiding principle for Apple’s new headquarters.
If you thought that the shape was the only remarkable thing about this building, here are a few bits of trivia that will send your jaw plummeting to the floor.
Numbers, Numbers, Number
It took $5 billion and 13,0000 contractors to build the campus, which can accommodate up to 14,000 employees.
Out of Sight
Nowhere in the 2.8 million-square-foot main building is a single pipe or electric wire visible. Furthermore, ventilation has been installed in a way that it doesn’t reflect in the huge glass windows in the campus.
A Box of Surprise
Even the ceiling panels, which are made of polished concrete, are pristine inside out, bringing to mind the beautiful white box the iPhone arrives in – immaculate, sans dust, fingerprint, and any other kind of blemish.
Curved Glass Display
There are rumours that the next iPhone will come with a curved glass display. When that feature’s going to see the light of day is anybody’s guess, but the campus already has the largest piece of curved glass in the world. Measuring 6 km in length, it’s being installed on the exterior of the main building.
Sign of Distinction
The signage in the building borrows from Apple’s sleek and minimalist aesthetic, which is reflected in all its products, especially the iPhone. It took 15 meetings with the Santa Clara County Fire Department to get the signage right.
Thorough Documentation
Apple’s documentation is nothing if not extensive. One set of guidelines regarding a particular type of wood ran into 30 pages! Go figure.
Beauty by Design
The elevator buttons are reminiscent of the Home button on the iPhone. Even the curved, rounded corners in the building borrow their proportions from various Apple devices.
Doorway to Perfection
Throughout the campus, there are doorways, but no thresholds. That’s right! The doorways are absolutely flat so that engineers don’t have to adjust their gait when they’re walking through it. Because that would distract them from their work. Because doors are so distracting. What the what, now?
Hand to Glove
Workers were required to wear gloves to prevent them from leaving scuff marks or fingerprints on whatever material they were working with. We know art galleries that are less fussy about that kind of thing!
All in all, it’s safe to assume to no stone has been left unturned to ensure that the building adheres to Apple’s core design tenets. No detail escaped scrutiny, and everything was passed through the fine sieve of perfection. One can only imagine what the final campus will look like, but going by the inspiration they’re drawing on – the iPhone – it can only be fabulous.
