Apple has given its patented “giant glass box” retail store concept a localized makeover for its second Beijing store. According to ifoAppleStore, the store will feature Apple’s famous glass box design, but incorporate traditional Asian elements in an attempt to blend Eastern and Western architecture together.
The work of American architect Benjamin Wood, the new store features a 100-foot wide, three-level building with a traditional, dark wooden frame and Chinese-style tile roof. The center of the building consists of a Fifth-Avenue-style giant glass box, but more rectangular-shaped in order to accommodate the three floors. Judging by the artist renderings, this store is shaping up to be a real gem.
The store will open on Beijing’s Qianmen street, which is close to Tiananmen Square. Construction is supposedly well underway, with a grand opening planned for this fall. This Apple outlet is coming just a year after the first Beijing Apple Store opened prior to the 2008 Olympics. Something tells me the demand for Apple products in China isn’t going away any time soon.