Mikey Campbell
Apple is making steady progress on a next-generation retail outlet in Seattle's University Village mall that, once complete, will stand face-to-face with a Microsoft Store located just feet away.
Photos of the construction site sent to AppleInsider by Gregory Ashworth show work on the store's steel superstructure is nearly complete, with support beams, roofing, awning pieces and other vital elements in place.
Contractors appear to be focusing efforts on the store's interior, as wall materials can be seen stacked on the unfinished floor. Exterior work is also being conducted, specifically preparations for what will likely become a flat-top roof.
Like other new Apple store locations, the University Village outlet is expected to feature an open floor plan with dedicated areas for product showcases, a Genius Grove and Today at Apple forum. Other amenities include a large planter for an indoor tree.
Building permits unearthed by The Seattle Times in April describe the project, dubbed "Village Green," as a spacious 11,600-square-foot building with basement and approximately 6,300 square feet of retail space. By contrast, Apple's recently opened Chicago flagship is a massive 20,000-square-foot glass, metal and wood structure.
The building's general design seems to follow an aesthetic introduced with Apple's revamped Stanford campus store in 2013. A substantially flat, metal and concrete roof tops walls of glass to create a wide-open feel, allowing visitors views outside and passersby a peek of products inside.
The documents are credited to architectural firm and longtime Apple collaborator Foster + Partners, with at least one addressed to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., the report said.
Today's photos match up with the supposed Apple store plans, lending further credence to their authenticity.
Apple has not commented on the building plans, nor has the company confirmed it is working on a new store at University Village. It currently operates an outlet in the mall in a much smaller stall. The store's dedicated informational webpage does not mention an upcoming move, suggesting construction will not be completed anytime soon.
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6 Comments
The current store faces right in front of the MS store. Every time I've been there, the Apple store is packed; the MS store completely empty. This is in Seattle, only a few miles from the MS HQ in Redmond.
It really doesn't surprise me the Microsoft store is empty, they really don't have much to sell. Nobody is going to buy an Xbox from a Microsoft store and hardly anyone will buy a Surface there either. There are plenty of other stores selling Microsoft hardware, usually at a huge discount, so why bother going out of your way to find a Microsoft store when you can go to Walmart and find your PC. Of course more people buy non-Microsoft PCs running Windows than buying a Surface.
At the Brea Mall in SoCal Microsoft opened a store practically across from the Apple Store. Their obvious and childish attempt at “in your face” backfired. It was so empty that after a couple of years they replaced it with a kiosk along with the pathetic screen repair and case hawkers in the pedestrian area. Apple moved to larger digs in the luxury brands (Tesla, etc.) area around the corner. Meanwhile, two or three M/S employees desultorily play with their own hardware, ignored by passers by.