AppleInsider Staff
Apple on Monday gave the world a closer look at one under-the-radar aspect of its massive new corporate campus — the 1,000 seat event space that the company is calling its "theatre."
The above-ground portion of the space is nearly complete, recently capped off by a carbon fiber roof. Architectural renderings seemed to indicate that the roof would be made of Apple's signature aluminum or steel, but the company has instead chosen to go with the lighter-weight composite option.
Apple believes the theatre's roof — designed and manufactured in Dubai — is the largest such composite roof ever, according to Mashable. It tips the scales at 80 tons and measures just over 140 feet in diameter.
For comparison, a Boeing 787's maximum take-off weight is just shy of 30 tons and its wings stretch 197 feet from tip to tip.
To assemble the glass exterior of the theatre and main campus building, Apple's construction partners designed special "manipulators" used to handle the giant sheets of curved glass. Apple has contracted the same firms responsible for the Fifth Avenue cube to handle Campus 2's glass elements.
After kicking off in 2011, Apple expects to move into its new campus early next year.
AppleInsider took an exclusive aerial look at the new Campus 2 earlier this month. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook also noted to shareholders that project's 1000 seat theater might open in time to host next year's annual meeting, if everything goes according to plans.
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17 Comments
Saucer confirmed.
I can't wait to see this finished...I'd be really cool to see them do a video tour of the building when its finished....kinda like how Steve did a video tour of the very first Apple Retail Store before it opened in Tyson's Corner, VA. I also wonder what the very first Apple Event will be in the new theatre?
It reminds me in some ways of Steve's yacht. Something about the curve of the roof, the eaves, and the overall proportions.![]()
Maximum takeoff weight for the current 787-8, is about 252 tons. I really don't know where the 30 ton number comes from, because the airliner is listed as "heavy", in both the FAA listings, and the international listings, which is used for runway length and strength. The slightly longer 787-9 weighs about 25 tons more in maximum takeoff weight.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airliners_by_maximum_takeoff_weight