Apple Ginza in Tokyo opening in new eco-friendly building on Aug. 30

The Apple Store in Tokyo's Ginza district is set to move in August to a new innovative, 12-story building that features a fire-resistant and eco-friendly wood and steel design.

Apple Ginza is notable because it was the company's first international retail outlet. Nearly two decades after it first opened in 2003, the Apple Store is slated to make a significant move to a new building.

The Apple retail location will relocate to Japan's first 12-story building crafted from fire-resistant wood and steel, Nikkei reported Tuesday.

Apple Ginza will officially reopen on Aug. 30 as the primary tenant of the high-rise, which was developed by Japanese-based real estate group Hulic. Nikkei reports that the original building that housed the Apple Store will be rebuilt.

A side-by-side of the old building (left) and the new building (right). Credit: ITmedia PCUser

The new building is an experiment that heralds an innovative era in Japanese architecture. It's designed specifically to cut carbon dioxide emissions over the lifetime of a property. More than half of the building's load-bearing elements are made of wood, with steel and concrete used for additional strength.

In total, about 300 cubic meters of wood is being used in the new design. Along with being fire-resistant, the building is also made to withstand earthquakes of at least 7 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7.

The Apple Store is expected to use up about half of the building's floors, with the others dedicated to medical offices. While the building was completed in October 2021, it wasn't clear who the primary tenants would be until recently.