Apple’s Zorlu store in Istanbul, Turkey racked up more accolades this week, as the store won both the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence and the award for best Commercial or Retail Structures at the Structural Awards 2014. The Supreme award goes to the structure that exemplifies the “finest example of structural engineering design” for the year.
Apple was recognized for the intricate and minimalist structural design of its flagship store in the upscale Zorlu shopping center in Istanbul, Turkey. Created in conjunction with structural engineering firm Eckersley O’Callaghan and architects Foster + Partners, the building features a unique cubic design with an all-glass ceiling and sides to take advantage of the natural lighting in the open area of the mall.
The building was cited by judges as a “supreme example of collaboration between engineer and fabricator to achieve an outstanding, architecturally minimalist structure.” The glass construction of the structure was noted to have taken “structural glass technology into a new dimension.”
Apple’s 20,000 square foot Zorlu store opened earlier this year. It was the first store for the company in Turkey, and it was joined by an additional location with the recent opening of a store in Istanbul’s Akasya Shopping Mall.
